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H  AOFN 


SINCLAIR 


PRINCE    HAGEN 


By 


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^      *&>      <&>      A    Phantasy 
U  p  t  o  VLSI  n  c  1  a  i  r. 


A   ^ 


AUTHOR     OF      "KING      ivfl  D  A  S  ,  "      ETC. 


BOSTON    «*•    L.     C.     PAGE 
&   COMPANY    +    Mcmiii 


Copyright,  1903 

By  L.   C.   PAGE  &  COMPANY 
(INCORPORATED) 


All  rights  reserved 


Published  May,  1903 


Colonial 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Simonds  &  Co. 
Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 


TO 

(George  30.  jetton 


4- 
% 

t 


PRINCE     H AGEN 


CHAPTER  I. 

THESE  things  happened  to  me  when  I  lived 
far  away  in  the  country;  they  may  seem 
strange  when  they  are  read  in  cities,  but  I  have 
determined  to  tell  the  story,  whether  people 
believe  it  or  not. 

It  has  to  do  with  the  Nibelungs.  In  these 
days,  when  the  works  of  Wagner  have  been  so 
much  written  about  and  sung  about,  one  might 
perhaps  assume  the  Nibelungs  to  be  a  people 
familiar  to  every  one;  but  lest  this  should  not 
be  so,  it  must  be  said,  at  the  outset,  that  the 
Nibelungs  are  strange  creatures  who  live  in 
the  deep  caves  of  the  ground,  and  being  blind 
to  beauty,  spend  their  lives  in  digging  for 
gold.  Once  upon  a  time,  one  of  them  named 
Alberich  found  a  magic  ring  which  gave  him 


12  PRINCE     HAGEN 

power  over  all  the  rest;  and  Alberich's  son, 
Hagen,  a  most  unpleasant  person,  was  the 
murderer  of  the  hero  Siegfried,  and  was 
drowned  by  the  nymphs  of  the  Rhine,  as  he 
well  deserved.  One  may  see  all  these  things 
exactly  as  they  occurred  many  hundred  years 
ago,  in  Wagner's  "  Nibelung  Ring." 

My  story  began  one  warm  day  in  midsum- 
mer, not  so  many  years  ago.  I  was  camping 
out  in  the  mountains  that  summer,  and  back 
from  the  tent  there  was  a  deeply-wooded  glen 
with  a  streamlet  in  it —  a  very  pleasant  place 
when  the  weather  was  sultry.  On  this  par- 
ticular day  I  was  sitting  there  in  a  hammock, 
and  in  my  lap,  lying  open,  was  the  score  of 
"  Das  Rheingold,"  which  I  had  been  study- 
ing. 

It  is  a  fact  about  these  creations  of  Wagner, 
that  if  one  is  only  caught  by  them  young 
enough,  they  become  so  real  to  him  that  the 
men  and  women  of  every-day  life  remain 
shadowy  in  comparison;  and  the  wonderful 
music  belongs  to  them  so  absolutely  that  often 
a  tiny  melody  has  power  to  bring  up  a  whole 
scene,  and  all  the  emotions  of  a  scene,  with 
never-to-be-diminished  intensity. 

It  chanced  that  on  this  afternoon,  my  eye 


PRINCE     HAGEN  13 

had  rested  on  such  a  theme  as  that,  a  half- 
dozen  notes  once  repeated : 


and  straightway  I  was  in  Nibelheim  once 
more,  with  its  dark  caverns  and  its  rocky  walls 
looming  about  me,  and  with  the  terrible  Al- 
berich,  lash  in  hand,  driving  before  him  the 
frightened  crowd  of  treasure-laden  dwarfs. 

The  Nibelungs  are  an  interesting  race  to 
think  about;  I  have  often  tried  to  imagine 
them,  and  the  kind  of  life  they  lived,  and  the 
kind  of  world  they  built.  They  are  repre- 
sented to  us  as  creatures  not  immoral,  but  un- 
moral; as  having  no  other  ideal  than  the  get- 
ting of  gold,  and  therefore  having  no  other 
duty,  —  spending  the  whole  of  their  lives  in 
the  effort,  and  being,  both  in  their  joys  and 
sorrows,  very  funny  little  men  indeed.  I 
dwelt  upon  that  idea  for  some  time,  and  like- 
wise upon  another  which  it  had  often  brought 
to  my  mind:  the  wonder  whether  this  huge, 
overgrown  civilisation  of  ours,  this  vast,  ma- 
chine-built jungle,  where  bigness  is  so  much 
taken  for  greatness,  and  greediness  for  power, 


i4  PRINCE     HAGEN 

—  whether  it  were  not  perhaps  but  a  larger 
Nibelheim,  without  the  excuse  of  darkness. 
I  went  on  to  the  thought  that  it  must  be  the 
fault  of  the  artists,  who  are  its  soul;  there  be- 
ing among  them  no  man  with  any  thought  of 
strenuous  living,  or  of  the  need  of  truth,  no 
soul  to  scourge  the  selfishness,  and  fire  the 
hearts  of  the  coming  men  with  generous 
emotion  and  resolve. 

There  are  a  number  of  small  demons  espe- 
cially commissioned  to  watch  out  for  such 
moods  in  people.  There  is,  in  the  first  place, 
the  Demon  of  General  Indisposition,  who 
thinks  there  is  no  need  to  be  in  such  haste  to 
forge  those  sentences,  because  the  thought  is 
very  obvious,  and  you  can  rouse  it  at  any  time ; 
there  is  the  sly  little  Demon  of  the  Fact,  whose 
eyes  twinkle  as  he  hints  that  evil  has  been  in 
the  world  for  some  time,  and  that  it  occupies 
considerable  territory;  there  is  the  aged  and 
sedate  devil  who  reminds  you  that  it  is  unwise 
to  take  life  too  seriously,  and  that  the  via 
media  is  by  far  the  better;  last  of  all,  there  is 
the  plain  old  Demon  of  the  Body,  who  says 
nothing,  but  does  most.  You  see  the  young 
soul,  so  eager,  so  fierce  in  its  rage  against  dul- 
ness,  and  so  swift  in  its  impatience  for  beauty, 


PRINCE     HAGEN  15 

and  you  see  the  man  of  the  world,  placid  and 
experienced,  taking  all  that  comes  to  him,  and 
you  wonder  how  it  came  about.  If  you  could 
only  hear  these  demons  chuckling,  you  would 
know  better  what  it  means. 

In  this  particular  case,  I  think  it  was  the 
first  named  of  them  and  the  last;  it  was  a 
very  warm  day,  and  a  hammock  is  a  treacher- 
ous contrivance ;  the  streamlet  tinkled  on,  and 
the  wind  swayed  the  pine-trees  gently.  I  sat 
for  some  time  much  entertained  with  the 
thoughts  that  teemed  in  my  brain,  and  not 
altogether  unaware  that  it  was  a  fine  emotion, 
and  one  that  people  would  justly  admire; 
then,  entirely  without  realising  it,  and  still 
imagining  that  I  was  hard  at  work,  I  began  to 
nod.  It  was  too  late  for  any  resistance  then ; 
the  demons  had  it  all  their  own  way,  and  must 
have  laughed  a  great  deal;  in  a  few  minutes 
more  I  was  fast  asleep. 

How  long  it  lasted,  I  cannot  tell;  I  only 
know  that  when  I  opened  my  eyes  it  was  dark 
night;  and  that,  as  happens  always,  I  awoke 
with  a  start,  and  with  a  burst  of  anger  that 
brought  me  to  my  feet  with  a  leap.  For  a 
moment  I  stared  about  me,  half  dazed,  and 
scarcely  believing  it  could  be  true  that  I  had 


16  PRINCE     HAGEN 

so  wasted  my  time;  and  then  I  fell  to  work 
berating  myself.  It  is  a  very  useful  habit,  and 
one  can  sometimes,  when  he  has  learned  the 
art,  get  into  such  a  rage  over  a  wasted  hour, 
that  he  can  fight  off  the  demons  for  a  week. 
In  this  instance,  however,  I  had  scarcely  be- 
gun before  I  stopped  quite  short;  and  I  stared 
about  me  in  wonder.  Then,  in  spite  of  every- 
thing, I  could  not  help  smiling;  for  I  had 
fancied  that  I  heard,  from  the  depths  of  the 
woods,  a  few  dancing  notes  of  music: 


"  It  is  still  ringing  in  my  ears,"  I  thought, 
with  a  smile,  and  then  turned  to  take  up  the 
lash  again. 

But  I  did  not  take  it,  for  I  heard  that  music 
once  more,  and  this  time  so  plainly  that  I 
could  not  but  start  back  and  clutch  the  ham- 
mock beside  me.  Then,  as  the  breeze  stirred 
more  strongly,  I  heard  it  a  third  time,  and  I 
whispered,  half  breathlessly,  "  What  can  it 
mean?  —  It  is  a  violin!" 

Now  my  camp  was  several  miles  from  the 
nearest  house,  and  I  lived  in  it  alone.  There 


PRINCE     HA  GEN  17 

was  no  violin  in  those  mountain-forests  except 
my  own,  and  that  lay  beside  the  hammock; 
and  yet,  even  while  I  stood  repeating  this  to 
myself,  and  arguing  with  my  foolish  fancy,  the 
skipping  music  came  nearer  and  nearer, 
louder  and  louder.  It  seemed  to  spread  out  on 
every  side  of  me,  the  whole  place  seemed  to 
become  alive  with  it;  and  I  heard  not  only 
violins,  but,  in  spite  of  my  astounded  incredu- 
lity, flutes  and  a  drum,  and  a  triangle,  —  a 
whole  orchestra,  in  fact,  —  all  merrily  trip- 
ping the  same  quaint  measure.  The  trees 
about  me  shook  with  it,  the  rivulet  danced 
to  it,  the  forest  resounded  with  it.  It  swelled 
out,  it  rose  higher,  it  took  hold  of  me  in  spite 
of  myself;  it  rose  to  a  very  Wagner  climax, 
and  I  cried  aloud  in  breathless  wonder:  "  It 
must  be  the  Nibelungs!  " 

Now  a  moment  later  I  was,  of  course, 
ready  to  laugh  at  myself.  "  It  can't  be,"  I 
said,  "  because  there  aren't  any,"  and  thought 
it  a  very  fine  argument.  And  so  it  seemed 
to  be,  until  a  moment  later;  for  then  I  gasped, 
helplessly,  "  There  they  are!  " 

I  have  said  that  the  forest  was  dark;  there 
was  a  moon,  however,  half-veiled  by  clouds. 
It  lighted  faintly  a  little  glade  just  beyond, 


i8  PRINCE     HAGEN 

and  there  all  at  once  I  saw  a  figure  moving 
—  and  then  a  second  —  then  a  whole  crowd  — 
with  the  quick  little  running  motion  I  knew 
so  well.  It  was  the  Nibelungs  for  a  fact! 

And  now  there  was  real  Wagner  music;  I 
saw  the  capering  forms  on  every  side  of  me, 
the  whole  forest  sprang  into  life  with  them, 
they  danced  a  very  Bacchanal  about  me.  The 
music  swept  on  in  climax  after  climax.  I  was 
dazed,  bewildered,  half  unable  to  convince 
myself  by  the  evidence  of  my  eyes.  Yet  I 
saw  the  figures  as  plain  as  day;  I  heard 
them  laughing  and  prattling;  I  heard  the 
metal  sounds  of  the  armloads  of  treasure  they 
bore  —  "niedliches  Niblungentand!  "  And 
then  suddenly,  as  if  the  little  creatures  had 
read  my  mind  and  meant  to  convince  me  of 
their  actuality,  I  felt  a  sharp  pinch  that  made 
me  cry  out.  I  heard  a  laugh  from  one  of  the 
dwarfs,  and  as  I  leaped  forward,  I  felt  an- 
other and  yet  sharper  twitch,  and  then  an- 
other. I  broke  into  a  run,  and  in  a  flash  the 
whole  swarm  closed  about  me,  pushing  and 
yelling  like  mad.  The  music  swelled  into  a 
deafening  crash,  with  blare  of  trumpets  and 
clatter  of  cymbals,  and  away  up  the  glen  we 
tore. 


-PRINCE     HAGEN  19 

It  was  only  a  few  yards  further  —  we  came 
to  a  sudden  turn,  to  a  high  black  wall  of  rock. 
I  was  about  to  swerve,  when  it  yawned  open 
before  me ;  the  swarm  pressed  about  me,  and, 
before  I  realised  it,  I  had  plunged  through 
the  cavernous  entrance.  There  was  a  loud 
hissing  of  steam,  and  I  remember  the  thought 
flashing  over  me  that  it  happened  just  so  in 
"  Das  Rheingold;"  and  then  all  was  black- 
ness, and  I  found  myself  rushing  swiftly  down 
a  steep  incline,  swept  onward  by  the  surging 
throng.  I  seized  one  of  my  pockets  to  keep 
my  eye-glasses  from  falling  out;  and  then, 
seeing  that  I  could  do  nothing  else,  I  bent  all 
my  energies  to  keep  from  stumbling  as  the 
wild  race  went  on. 

A  man  of  literary  tastes  is  not  usually  in 
training  for  sprinting,  and  I  very  speedily 
reached  the  end  of  my  strength.  I  was 
breathless  and  staggering,  and  I  had  just  con- 
cluded that  if  the  mad  creatures  did  not  stop, 
I  should  fall  and  let  them  do  with  me  what 
they  chose,  when  suddenly  I  felt  the  ground 
become  level  beneath  me,  and  saw  a  dim  light 
in  front.  We  swept  out  into  the  open,  and  I 
gazed  about  me  at  towering  cliffs  and  yawning 
caverns,  black  as  night.  I  took  one  look,  and 


20  PRINCE     HAGEN 

then  gave  a  cry  of  wonder,  for  I  knew  it  in 
an  instant  —  we  were  in  Nibelheim ! 

I  leave  it  to  any  one  to  imagine  my  con- 
sternation at  this  discovery.  I  stood  staring 
about  me  in  the  half-shadows,  and,  long  after 
I  should  have  regained  my  composure  after 
my  run,  I  was  still  leaning  upon  a  ledge  of 
the  rocks,  gasping  for  breath,  and  whispering 
to  myself:  "Nibelheim!  It  is  Nibelheim!" 

The  mob  of  creatures,  who  had  so  suddenly 
introduced  me  to  the  scene,  paid  no  further 
attention  to  me.  It  seemed  as  if,  having 
brought  me  there,  they  had  accomplished  their 
purpose,  and  they  vanished  in  the  black  cav- 
erns. Here  and  there  I  still  saw  a  few  of  the 
men  moving,  little  stumpy  creatures  about 
three  feet  high,  wrapped  in  rough,  furry 
garments,  and  with  dark,  wizened  features. 
"  They  are  the  Nibelungs,  beyond  any  doubt," 
I  thought  to  myself.  "  I  cannot  imagine  what 
this  strange  adventure  may  mean." 

I  was  still  consumed  with  wonder,  though 
my  breath  had  returned,  when  I  heard  a  voice 
coming  from  the  depths  of  one  of  the  passages, 
—  a  voice  so  deep  and  grave  that  it  seemed 
as  if  it  could  scarcely  come  from  one  of  the 
dwarfs.  "  Let  the  earth-man  advance,"  it 


PRINCE     HAGEN  21 

said,  and  I,  knowing  that  the  words  were 
meant  for  me,  stepped  quietly  toward  the 
sound.  I  had  not  gone  very  far  before  I  saw 
in  front  of  me  a  figure  seated  upon  a  raised 
chair,  —  a  huge  chair,  which  glittered  even  in 
the  half-light  so  that  I  knew  it  must  be  made 
of  gold.  The  figure  bore  in  its  hand  a  sceptre, 
and  upon  its  head  was  a  crown,  while  about 
it,  bended  upon  one  knee,  was  a  throng  of  the 
little  dwarfs.  The  man  had  long  black  hair, 
coming  half-way  to  his  waist,  and  I  needed 
to  take  but  one  glance  in  order  to  know  him. 
I  started  back,  gasping  the  word  "  Alberich!  " 

The  old  Nibelung  heard  me,  and  a  smile 
crossed  his  face.  "  You  know  me,  then?  "  he 
said. 

"Know  you?"  I  echoed.  "Why,  Albe- 
rich—" 

I  stopped,  for  I  felt  some  one  nudge  me; 
looking  down,  I  saw  one  of  the  little  creatures. 
"  Your  Majesty!  "  he  admonished,  in  a  piping 
voice.  "  Your  Majesty!  " 

"  Yes,"  said  old  Alberich,  gravely,  having 
heard  him,  "  for  I  am  the  king  of  the  Nibel- 
ungs,  you  know." 

"Oh!"  I  echoed,  and  then  suddenly  ex- 
claimed: "But,  your  Majesty,  I  understood 


22  PRINCE     HAGEN 

that  after  you  lost  the  Tarnhelm  and  the  ring, 
you  ceased  — ' 

I  stopped  again,  embarrassed.  King  Albe- 
rich  laughed. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  he  said,  "  but  you  are  far  behind 
the  age.  The  Nibelungs  discovered  the  need 
of  a  ruler  again,  you  know,  and  they  were  used 
to  me;  so  I  am  still  king." 

I  bowed  in  silence.  There  was  a  moment's 
pause,  and  then  he  remarked,  sociably:  "I 
observe  that  you  are  familiar  with  the  works 
of  Wagner." 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  but  I  am  astonished  to  find 
that  you  know  of  them." 

The  king  and  the  courtiers  looked  at  me 
so  that  I  felt  I  had  said  something  absurd. 
"  Dear  me,"  said  Alberich,  "  who  should 
know  of  them  if  not  we?  "  I  could  not  an- 
swer that  argument,  and  there  was  again  a 
pause. 

I  must  have  looked  foolish  in  my  perplex- 
ity >  by  way  of  making  conversation,  I  ob- 
served: "You  are  fond  of  Wagner?" 

"  H'm!  "  said  King  Alberich,  meditatively. 
"  Not  so  fond  as  you  earth-men  are;  he  is  a 
very  much  overrated  man,  you  know." 

I  looked  interested.     "  You  see,"  went  on 


PRINCE     HAGEN  23 

the  other,  "  we  are  in  a  position  here  to  under- 
stand him  and  his  methods  much  better.  We 
know  all  his  tricks." 

"Pray,"  said  I,  quickly — for  I  have  my 
idols  —  "pray  explain!"  I  had  quite  for- 
gotten the  strangeness  of  my  situation  in  my 
excitement  about  that  remark. 

"  Willingly,"  said  King  Alberich,  smiling. 
"  Perhaps  you  think  him  original?  " 

"Original!".!  gasped.  "Surely,  of  all 
things !  If  ever  a  man  —  " 

"  No  doubt,"  interrupted  the  other,  laugh- 
ing, "  no  doubt.  For  instance,  you  have  heard 
him  called  original  in  his  scenic  effects?  " 

"Why,  certainly,"  I  answered,  promptly. 

"  Well,"  remarked  the  king,  with  a  wave  of 
his  hand,  "look  about  you!" 

And  I  looked.  As  I  have  said  before,  it 
was  the  very  identical  Nibelheim  that  I  had 
seen  a  score  of  times.  Except  for  the  absence 
of  signs  of  wear,  and  of  the  energetic  head  and 
shoulders  of  the  conductor,  I  should  have 
thought  I  was  in  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House. 

"  And  you  call  that  Wagner's  originality!  " 
sniffed  the  old  Nibelung. 

His  dreadful  meaning  had  flashed  over  me 


24  PRINCE     HAGEN 

all  in  an  instant.  "  You  mean  he  came  here 
and  copied  it?  "  I  cried. 

"  Exactly,"  laughed  Alberich. 

I  was  crushed.  I  knew  not  what  to  say. 
For  a  lifelong  Wagnerian,  that  was  almost 
too  much. 

"But,  your  Majesty!"  I  cried.  "Surely 
not  all  - 

"You  heard  our  Nibelung  music?"  asked 
he.  I  had  heard  it,  alas,  and  I  could  say  no 
more. 

In  the  meantime,  the  other  had  continued, 
relentlessly.  "Original!"  he  laughed.  "It 
is  indeed  wondrous  originality!  To  listen  in 
the  Rhine-depths  to  the  song  of  the  maidens, 
to  dwell  in  the  forest  and  steal  its  murmurs, 
to  catch  the  crackling  of  the  fire,  and  the  flow- 
ing of  the  water,  and  the  galloping  of  the 
wind,  and  the  death-march  of  the  thunder  — 
and  then  write  it  all  down  for  your  own! 
And  to  take  our  story  and  tell  it  just  as  it  hap- 
pened, —  to  take  the  very  words  from  our  lips, 
and  sign  your  own  name  to  them!  Origi- 
nality!" 

For  a  long  time  I  could  say  nothing,  no 
glimmer  of  hope  came  to  me.  Then  suddenly, 
however,  I  exclaimed:  "But,  your  Majesty, 


PRINCE     HAGEN  25 

one  thing  at  least!  Even  his  enemies  granted 
him  that!  The  invisible  orchestra!" 

And  King  Alberich  laughed  again.  "  Do 
you  see  our  orchestra?  "  he  asked. 

And  then,  for  the  first  time,  I  noticed,  with 
a  start,  what  I  had  taken  as  only  natural  be- 
fore —  that  this  whole  scene  had  been  set  to 
music!  I  had  been  so  used  to  the  thought 
before  that  it  would  have  seemed  unnatural 
to  me  if  the  voices  of  the  Nibelungs  had  not 
been  accompanied  by  the  wheezing  of  stopped 
trumpets,  if  a  bassoon  had  not  followed  the 
deep  voice  of  Alberich,  if  the  announcement 
of  Wagner's  damnation  had  not  been  accom- 
panied by  a  tuttl  fortissimo.  Now  that  I 
thought  of  it,  I  was  made  very  happy  to  no- 
tice that  my  own  thinking  was  made  beautiful 
by  soaring  melodies  upon  the  strings  with  an 
accompaniment  of  horns  and  harp;  by  which 
I  knew  that  my  heart  was  clean,  and  that  I 
was  young. 

I  was  so  carried  away  by  the  wonder  of 
these  discoveries  that  I  forgot  all  about  the 
loss  of  my  argument;  I  listened  for  a  time  in 
joy  to  my  own  heart's  singing,  and  then  I  cried 
out,  eagerly:  "  But  do  you  mean  that  every- 
thing here  happens  to  music?  " 


26  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  If  you  had  only  ears  to  hear,"  said  the 
old  king,  gravely,  "  you  would  know  that  the 
universe  happens  to  music." 

After  that,  I  said  nothing  for  a  long  time. 
I  listened,  and,  when  the  spell  was  broken, 
it  was  by  Alberich's  voice  again. 

"  The  way  of  your  coming  here  is  strange, 
my  dear  sir,"  said  he,  "  and  no  doubt  you  are 
confused  and  puzzled.  But  I  pray  you  to 
have  no  alarm,  for  no  harm  is  meant.  I  have 
only  taken  the  liberty  of  having  an  earth-man 
brought  to  me  because  I  have  need  to  consult 
some  one  upon  a  matter  of  grave  importance." 

I  looked  at  him  in  some  astonishment,  won- 
dering very  much  what  the  old  Nibelung 
could  possibly  wish  to  consult  me  about;  I 
saw  he  was  eyeing  me  keenly. 

"Who  are  you?"  he  demanded,  suddenly. 

I  told  him  my  name. 

"  And  tell  me  something  about  yourself," 
he  said.  "  What  do  you  do?  " 

"  I  am  an  author,"  I  replied. 

"That  means  that  you  write  books?"  said 
he.  "What  sort  of  books?" 

"  Mainly,"  said  I,  "  I  edit  the  books  of 
friends  who  drown  themselves." 

His  Majesty  gazed  at  me  again  cautiously. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  27 

He  turned  to  his  attendants,  and  they  held  a 
consultation  in  whispers;  I  bore  the  ordeal 
as  gracefully  as  I  could.  Afterward  King 
Alberich  turned  to  stare  at  me  again. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  suddenly,  "  there  is  plenty 
of  time  for  us  to  discuss  the  thing;  we  need 
not  make  up  our  minds  at  once.  You  are 
in  no  great  hurry,  I  trust?  " 

I  answered  that  I  was  not.  "  I  am  very 
much  interested  in  my  adventure,"  I  contin- 
ued, with  a  smile.  "  It  is  quite  new  to  me 
—  all  your  Majesty's  kingdom." 

"  Ah,  yes !  "  replied  the  king,  and,  with  a 
sudden  gesture^  he  rose.  "  It  is  well  said," 
he  continued ;  "  it  is  always  customary  to  show 
our  visitors  about  the  land  —  to  show  our 
treasures,  above  all.  That  will  please  you,  no 
doubt." 

"  Most  certainly,  your  Majesty,"  I  replied. 
At  the  same  time,  I  heard  that  wonderful 
orchestra  sing  out,  as  cheerily  as  a  little  bird : 


which  made  it  seem  like  an  old  friend. 
Before  this,   I   had   noticed   the   courtiers 


28  PRINCE     HAGEN 

standing  listlessly  about,  and  had  been  im- 
pressed with  the  thought  that  King  Alberich 
was  now  a  very  old  man,  with  trembling, 
palsied  hands.  At  this  moment,  however,  he 
moved  with  alacrity;  and  the  eyes  of  the 
others  gleamed  darkly,  as  we  moved  toward 
the  treasure-vaults. 

"  You  see,"  the  old  king  said,  "  we  do  not 
often  have  a  chance  to  show  our  wonderful 
possessions  to  a  stranger." 

"  I  understand,"  I  said,  as  I  saw  him  kneel 
down  to  unlock  a  huge  iron  door.  "  And  I, 
for  my  part,  am  very  much  honoured  indeed." 

The  door  creaked  on  its  hinges.  Beyond 
it  loomed  vast  darkness,  yielding  a  damp 
odour,  and  long  echoes  of  every  sound  we 
made.  "It  must  be  an  immense  place!"  I 
exclaimed. 

"  This  cavern  runs  for  several  miles  back 
in  the  earth,"  was  the  calm  reply.  I  gasped 
for  breath. 

"You  do  not  mean  that  it  is  all  full  of 
gold!"  I  cried. 

"  From  ceiling  to  roof,  with  solid  masses 
of  it,"  said  the  king,  gravely. 

I  own  that  I  was  awestricken;  and,  in  the 
half-light  at  the  entrance,  I  saw  the  old  Ni- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  29 

belung's  eyes  shining  like  fire.  But  I  heard 
the  music  give  a  nasal  snarl.  I  shuddered. 

"  Forward!  "  cried  the  king.  "  All  this  is 
nothing  to  what  you  shall  see  later  on." 

He  strode  out  into  the  darkness,  I  behind 
him,  down  a  passage  just  large  enough  for 
our  bodies.  "  The  gold  is  on  both  sides  of 
us,"  said  Alberich.  "  One  is  almost  over- 
powered by  the  presence  of  so  much  majesty, 
of  so  much  slumbering  power.  Put  your  hand 
upon  it,  feel  it  —  how  cold  and  hard  it  is!" 

The  old  man's  voice  had  suddenly  become 
deep  and  resonant.  "Forward!"  he  ex- 
claimed. "There  is  so  much  to  see!" 

We  strode  on,  past  solid  walls  of  the  metal, 
all  in  utter  darkness;  we  walked  and  walked, 
until  I  was  weary,  and  until  I  began  to  fear 
that  there  was  no  end.  "  One  thousand,  six 
hundred  and  seventy-two  paces,"  said  the  king, 
counting.  "  In  eleven  more  we  come  to  the 
vault  of  the  carved  and  beaten  vessels.  Ah, 
here  we  are! " 

The  procession  stopped,  a  key  turned,  and 
we  entered.  "  Here,"  said  King  Alberich, 
"  here  are  the  priceless  of  my  treasures.  All 
of  these  wondrous  carvings  are  by  masters  of 


30  PRINCE     HAGEN 

undying  fame,  and  all  are  worth  many  times 
the  weight  of  the  gold." 

I  felt  a  new  burst  of  interest;  I  had  heard 
of  the  Nibelung  smiths,  and  I  exclaimed,  ex- 
citedly: "  Let  us  see  them!  " 

"  Put  your  hands  upon  this  first  of  them," 
said  the  king;  "  this  is  by  the  wondrous  mas- 
ter, Mimi,  who  died  seven  or  eight  hundred 
years  ago.  A  cavern  of  wealth  could  not  buy 
this  precious  thing!" 

It  was  a  huge  vase,  reaching  nearly  to  the 
ceiling.  "  Give  me  a  light,"  I  cried.  "  Let 
me  look  at  it!" 

"  A  light?  "  cried  the  king. 

"  A  light!  "  echoed  the  courtiers,  in  wonder. 
"  A  light?  " 

"  Of  course,"  I  said.  "  How  else  can  I 
see  it?  " 

"  But,  my  dear  sir! "  protested  King  Albe- 
rich,  "  candles  are  so  expensive !  We  never 
dream  of  bringing-  a  light  into  our  treasure- 
vaults!" 

I  was  quite  helpless  with  perplexity.  "  But 
then,  what  is  the  good  of  the  beautiful  vase?  " 
I  cried. 

"  Why,  my  dear  sir,  can  you  not  know  its 
value  without  seeing  it?  These  works,  you 


PRINCE     HAGEN  31 

must  understand,  are  by  the  acknowledged 
masters ;  every  one  knows  their  worth  without 
the  need  of  examining  them." 

"  Oh,"  said  I,  beginning  to  comprehend, 
"  you  value  them  by  the  name?  " 

"  Of  course,"  replied  the  king,  relieved  at 
my  words.  "  I  have  in  this  vault,  for  instance, 
no  less  than  seventeen  Mimis,  three  of  them 
over  ten  feet  high,  and  one  of  them  the  world- 
renowned  Coronation-cup,  which  I  will  pres- 
ently show  you.  This  one  upon  which  your 
hand  rests  was  sold  in  the  beginning  for  over 
one  hundred  and  seventy  thousand  dollars, 
and  has  since  nearly  doubled  in  value!" 

"  But  give  me  some  idea  of  it,"  I  put  in. 
"What  is  the  design?" 

"The  design?"  asked  the  king,  slightly 
embarrassed.  "  Why,  bless  me  —  I'm  sure  — 
I  don't  know." 

"  Not  know!  "  I  gasped. 

"  My  dear  sir,"  he  protested,  "  how  could  I, 
with  my  huge  collection,  keep  track  of  such 
things  as  that?  And  what  good  would  it  do 
me,  besides?  " 

I  did  not  reply  for  a  moment;  then  I  said: 
"  But  I  wonder,  then,  that  your  people  should 
care  to  make  vases  at  all." 


32  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  The  tendency  is  indeed  that  way,"  was 
the  reply.  "  And  now  to  go  on  with  the 
treasure  —  " 

"  But,  your  Majesty,"  I  put  in,  hastily,  "  if 
we  are  not  to  see  the  carvings,  will  it  not  be 
just  as  well  for  you  to  tell  me  about  them, 
without  taking  me  through  all  these  long 
vaults?" 

"Not  go  through  the  vaults!"  cried  the 
king. 

"Not  go  through  the  vaults!"  echoed  the 
courtiers,  in  amazement. 

It  took  me  several  minutes  to  make  the  little 
men  believe  that  I  was  serious  in  this,  and  that 
I  really  did  not  care  to  handle  those  vast 
masses  of  gold. 

"  I  had  hoped  to  show  you  all  my  posses- 
sions! "  groaned  the  poor  king. 

"  But,  your  Majesty,"  I  asked,  "  how  long 
would  that  take?" 

"  Less  than  a  month,"  he  said,  pleadingly. 

"  But,  your  Majesty,"  I  exclaimed,  "  you 
forgot  that  my  life  is  short." 

"  Ah,  yes,"  said  he,  shaking  his  head,  "  I 
forgot  that  you  were  an  earth-man.  You  see 
how  pitifully  limited  your  poor  career  must 


PRINCE     HAGEN  33 

be!  If  you  were  only  a  Nibelung,  you  might 
live  four  or  five  thousand  years." 

"  It  is  very  sad,"  I  replied,  as  we  turned  to 
retrace  our  steps ;  "  but  you  will  have  to  de- 
scribe your  treasures  to  me  instead.  Tell  me, 
are  all  the  Nibelungs  as  rich  as  you?  " 

"  I  am  by  no  means  a  rich  man,"  said  Albe- 
rich,  "  even  though  I  am  king.  The  extent 
of  some  of  our  modern  fortunes,  sir,  would 
simply  exceed  your  belief.  There  goes  one  of 
the  richest  of  Nibelungs  now!" 

Nothing  was  said  for  some  time  after  that. 
The  king  was  watching  the  great  man  out  of 
sight,  and  I  was  thinking. 

"  Tell  me,  your  Majesty,"  I  asked,  sud- 
denly, "  you  Nibelungs  know  nothing  better 
to  seek  than  gold?  " 

He  looked  at  me  in  perplexity.  "  Why, 
no,"  he  said;  "what  is  there  more  valuable 
than  gold?" 

I  hesitated,  uncertain  just  how  to  make  plain 
what  I  meant.  "  Do  you  never  get  tired  of 
this  life?  "  I  inquired;  "  do  you  never  wish 
to  travel?" 

"  A  great  many  have  wished  it,"  was  the 
reply.  "  But  competition  is  so  fierce  in  these 
days,  it  takes  all  one's  faculties." 


34  PRINCE     HAGEN 

Again  I  was  silent. 

"  I  suppose,"  I  said  at  last,  "  you  have  never 
thought  of  unselfishness,  have  you?  " 

"Unselfishness?"  asked  the  old  king. 
"  How  do  you  mean?" 

I  cast  about  me  for  a  way  to  make  my 
thought  plain.  "  Suppose,"  I  said,  "  that  some 
one  wished  to  dig  gold  for  you,  instead  of 
for  himself?" 

The  king  looked  puzzled.  "Why,"  he 
said,  "  it  would  be  some  trick  he  was  playing 


on  me." 


"  But  suppose  that  he  really  did  wish  to?  "  I 
insisted. 

By  the  way  that  Alberich  and  his  courtiers 
looked  at  me,  it  was  plain  that  they  consid- 
ered I  was  a  little  wrong  in  my  mind.  "  In 
that  case,"  said  the  king,  gravely,  "  in  that 
case,  I  should  most  certainly  let  him  dig." 

I  dropped  the  subject.  There  was  a  pause, 
and  then  Alberich,  who  had  no  interest  what- 
ever in  my  vagaries,  asked :  "  Would  you  like 
to  see  more  of  the  country?  " 

"I  think  not,  your  Majesty,"  I  said;  "it 
must  be  getting  late." 

In  reality,  I  had  no  idea  of  what  time  it 
was,  but  I  was  disgusted  with  the  darkness 


PRINCE     HAGEN  35 

and  with  the  stifling  atmosphere  of  the 
gloomy  caverns. 

"  Yes,"  said  Alberich,  "  that  is  so,  and  we 
have  a  matter  of  business  to  discuss,  you  re- 
member. Let  us  return  to  the  palace." 

The  "  palace  "  I  made  out  to  be  the  place 
where  I  had  first  entered.  I  thought,  with 
relief,  that  I  should  find  space  there  at  any 
rate,  and  fresh  air,  and  I  set  out  quickly  to 
follow  the  party. 

Weariness  and  depression  had  settled  upon 
me  in  the  noisome  caverns;  and  when  I  came 
out  into  the  open  again,  I  stretched  out  my 
arms  and  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief;  at 
the  same  instant  the  music,  which  before  had 
been  wheezing  and  scraping,  flung  suddenly 
loose  in  a  fierce  surge  of  joy  that  trembled 
and  quivered,  and  shook  the  darkness  from 
its  wings.  I  stopped  and  listened  in  wonder, 
breathless,  because  I  knew  it  was  I  who  was 
making  that;  and  I  laughed,  and  cried  aloud 
in  childish  glee:  "  Oh,  is  it  not  beautiful?  " 

King  Alberich  shrugged  his  shoulders;  it 
was  evident,  by  the  way  the  others  looked  at 
me,  that  they  thought  I  was  entirely  daft. 
"  I  am  glad,  at  any  rate,"  said  Alberich,  after 


36  PRINCE     HAGEN 

a  long  pause,  "  that  there  is  somebody  who 
likes  that  orchestra." 

"  Likes  it!  "  I  echoed.  "  Do  you  mean  that 
you  do  not?  " 

"  You  would  not  if  you  lived  here  very 
long,"  was  the  reply.  "  You  can  have  no  idea 
how  monotonous  it  becomes  when  one  is  dig- 
ging. I  have  heard  it  do  nothing  but  thump 
on  the  drum  for  sixteen  hours  a  day;  and 
sometimes,  when  I  am  bargaining  for  a  new 
vase  for  my  collection,  it  keeps  up  such  a 
dreadful  wheezing  that  I  have  to  pay  a  few 
cents  more,  just  to  get  rid  of  it!" 

"  But  such  music  as  you  heard  just  now?  " 
I  protested,  helplessly.  "  Surely  —  " 

"  What  is  the  good  of  it?  "  asked  the  other. 
"  It  is  like  drinking;  you  get  fond  of  it,  and 
it  never  does  anything  but  waste  your  time 
and  distract  your  mind." 

I  let  the  subject  drop,  and  gradually  mat- 
ters sank  back  to  their  normal  state.  At  last 
I  ventured  to  suggest:  "Your  Majesty  had 
some  business  to  talk  about  with  me." 

"  Ah,  yes,"  said  Alberich,  quickly,  "  let  us 
attend  to  that  now."  And  he  seated  himself 
upon  the  throne,  and  had  a  chair  brought  for 


PRINCE     HAGEN  37 

me.  He  dismissed  his  courtiers,  and  in  an- 
other minute  we  were  alone  in  the  hall. 

"  Now,"  said  the  king,  "  we  can  talk  the 
thing  over  thoroughly."  And  he  leaned  over 
toward  me,  becoming  confidential. 

"  You  know,  my  dear  sir,"  he  inquired, 
"  that  I  had  a  son,  Hagen,  who  was  the  slayer 
of  the  great  Siegfried?  " 

"  Yes,  your  Majesty,"  I  responded. 

"  A  most  lamentable  affair,"  said  he.  "  I 
have  since  lived  bitterly  to  repent  my  own 
share  in  such  violence.  You  did  not  know, 
I  presume,  that  Hagen,  too,  had  a  son,  by  one 
of  the  daughters  of  earth?  " 

"  No,"  I  said;  "  he  is  not  mentioned  in  his- 
tory." 

"  Very  true,"  replied  Alberich ;  "  but  that 
son,  Prince  Hagen,  is  now  living.  And,  in 
the  inevitable  course  of  events,  he  will  fall 
heir  to  the  throne  which  I  now  occupy." 

"  Ah,"  I  said,  "  I  see." 

"  The  boy,"  continued  the  other,  "  is  seven 
or  eight  hundred  years  old,  which  in  earth 
measure  would  make  him  about  nineteen.  A 
very  critical  age,  my  friend,  in  the  training 
of  the  young." 

"  Yes,"  I  assented. 


38  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  Now,"  said  the  king,  "  I  have  sent  for  you 
to  speak  frankly.  I  am  in  trouble,  —  in  fact, 
I  am  utterly  at  a  loss;  I  am  helpless,  and 
almost  hopeless.  I  call  myself,  sir,  a  plain, 
hard-headed  man  of  business;  I  generally 
know  what's  what,  and  I  Ve  held  my  own  with 
the  best.  But  my  understanding  has  not 
proved  equal  to  this  emergency;  and  it  is 
because  I  have  been  given  to  understand  that 
earth-people  think  more  and  see  farther  than 
others,  that  I  have  had  one  brought  here.  I 
need  advice." 

I  was  interested  in  the  old  man  after  this 
confession;  the  flattery  was  very  subtle.  "  I 
will  do  what  I  can,"  I  said. 

"  Well,"  continued  the  other,  "  you  know 
my  interest  in  Nibelheim.  This  prosperity 
which  you  see  is  my  life-work;  and  now, 
when  I  think  of  the  possibility  of  my  death, 
my  one  care  is  about  its  future.  When  I  look 
at  the  future  now,  I  see  storm.  Yes,  sir,  storm! 
I  see  ruin  and  misery  and  despair!  For  there 
is  no  use  mincing  words  with  you,  this  grand- 
son of  mine,  Prince  Hagen,  is  bad!  " 

"  You  do  not  mean  it,"  I  said,  as  the  king 
stopped. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  39 

"  Bad,  sir,  hopelessly  and  wholly  bad,"  he 
reiterated. 

I  thought  for  a  moment.  "  You  mean  that 
he  does  not  show  a  proper  desire  for  gold?  " 

"  He  shows  desire  enough,"  was  the  reply, 
"  but  it  is  the  way  in  which  he  shows  it.  To 
put  the  matter  in  a  nutshell,  my  dear  friend, 
Prince  Hagen  is  his  father  come  to  life  again, 
—  a  child  of  violence  and  crime." 

The  dreadful  figure  of  Hagen  stood  out  in 
my  imagination  above  the  pettiness  of  Nibel- 
heim.  I  shuddered. 

"  Is  it  not  a  very  cruel  thing,"  went  on  King 
Alberich,  plaintively.  "  Once  —  once  only, 
in  a  long  lifetime  —  I  was  tempted  from  the 
paths  of  righteousness;  and  for  ever,  after 
that,  evil  must  haunt  me!  Only  think  of  it! 
for  seven  or  eight  centuries  I  have  striven 
with  all  my  might  to  make  amends  for  that 
violence;  I  have  toiled  and  dug  night  and 
day,  as  if  I  were  made  of  iron;  I  have  had 
but  one  purpose  and  one  thought  in  life;  and 
now,  after  all  my  efforts  to  be  a  good  and  use- 
ful citizen,  I  find  this  boy  Hagen  as  wild  and 
restless  as  I  was  in  my  most  violent  days,  and 
even  more  disdainful  of  authority  and  order. 
You  can  have  no  conception  of  it,  sir.  He  is 


40  PRINCE     HAGEN 

utterly  beyond  command,  mine  and  all  others ; 
his  thirst  for  gold  is  so  insatiate,  his  contempt 
for  others  so  savage,  that,  verily,  I  believe 
that  he  would  do  murder,  as  his  father  did, 
if  he  were  not  prevented.  He  robs  right  and 
left,  and,  when  he  is  discovered,  no  man  can 
tell  whether  he  will  choose  to  lie,  or  to  con- 
fess it  with  mocking  defiance.  And,  sir,  you 
can  have  no  idea  of  his  energy  and  daring; 
we  can  only  control  him  by  keeping  him  under 
lock  and  key.  And  one  cannot  keep  a  king 
in  a  cage." 

Old  Alberich  stopped;  his  voice  had  been 
trembling  as  he  spoke,  and  there  were  almost 
tears  in  his  eyes.  "  Ah,"  he  pleaded,  "  think 
what  will  become  of  the  treasure  I  have 
amassed,  of  the  laws  I  have  made!  Think 
that  peace  and  plenty  must  give  way  to  strife 
and  misery  in  our  land!" 

"  It  is  very  sad,"  I  said,  mechanically. 

"Yes,"  cried  the  other,  "  but  what  am  I 
to  do?  Tell  me,  sir,  how  can  this  boy  be 
trained  to  respect  the  property  of  others?  how 
can  he  be  taught  what  is  the  real  destiny  of 
Nibelheim?  Let  me  tell  you,  in  a  word,  why 
my  followers  led  you  here.  It  is  because  I 
wish  to  tell  you  that  if  you  could  show  me 


PRINCE     HA  GEN  41 

any  way  to  remedy  this  evil  —  if  you  could 
only  stay  here  and  use  your  greater  strength 
of  mind  and  body  to  overcome  Prince  Hagen, 
and  teach  him  what  is  right  —  sir,  you  should 
carry  hence  a  treasure  beyond  anything  the 
surface  of  the  earth  has  ever  seen.  Tell  me, 
can  you  give  me  help?" 

And  the  old  man  stopped  and  gazed  at  me 
imploringly;  there  was  a  long  silence. 

I  had  no  interest  in  King  Alberich's  civili- 
sation, nor  was  the  offer  of  reward  of  import 
to  me;  I  am  a  poet,  and  my  business  in  the 
world  is  imagining  things  different.  But  it 
had  occurred  to  me,  while  listening  to  the 
king,  that  there  might  be  a  chance  to  do  some- 
thing to  lift  these  wretched  Nibelungs  from 
the  blind  degradation  in  which  they  were 
sunk.  I  had  done  a  great  deal  of  crying  out 
in  the  wilderness  about  the  follies  of  men,  and 
got  small  thanks  for  my  hoarseness;  might  it 
not  be  that  here  was  a  case  in  which  an  idealist 
might  be  of  real  use?  I  could  not  but  believe 
that  these  creatures  could  be  lifted;  that  with 
education  and  intelligence  would  come  gen- 
erosity and  aspiration;  and,  clearly,  a  chance 
of  turning  their  energies  to  purposes  of  beauty 


42  PRINCE     HAGEN 

and  goodness  was  not  one  that  a  man  who 
sought  to  be  helpful  could  neglect. 

"  King  Alberich,"  I  said,  slowly  and 
thoughtfully,  "  I  have  things  of  importance 
to  do,  and  I  have  no  time  to  stay  down  here 
and  train  Prince  Hagen- 

I  saw  the  old  man's  face  fall.  "  Oh,  do  not 
tell  me  that!"  he  cried.  "I  —  " 

"  Listen,"  I  said.  "  There  is  perhaps  some- 
thing else  that  we  can  do.  How  would  it 
do  to  take  Prince  Hagen  up  to  the  world?" 

Alberich  gave  a  start. 

"  The  world  in  which  he  lives  here,"  I  con- 
tinued, "  is  a  small  one ;  there  he  might  have 
a  wider  field  in  which  to  vent  his  energies. 
There,  too,  he  might  be  instructed  in  many 
things  that  it  would  be  useful  for  a  king  to 
know;  and  men  could  be  found  there  far  bet- 
ter fitted  to  teach  him  than  I,  and  more  able 
to  understand  his  disposition." 

I  was  striving  to  put  the  matter  before  the 
old  man  as  delicately  as  I  could.  I  could  not 
well  have  said  that  I  was  cherishing  a  hope 
of  teaching  his  grandson  the  ideal  of  a  Chris- 
tian society,  of  awakening  in  his  savage  heart 
some  gleam  of  a  soul,  so  that  he  might  learn 
to  love  other  things  than  wealth,  and  might 


PRINCE     HAGEN  43 

come  back  to  Nibelheim  with  a  fiery  deter- 
mination to  clean  it  out  as  a  noisome  swamp. 
I  could  not  say  that  I  was  sure  Prince  Hagen 
could  not  live  with  honest  men  very  long  with- 
out coming  to  hate  the  darkness  and  the  mean- 
ness of  this  cave-born  race. 

It  was  plain  that  my  suggestion  was  an  en- 
tirely new  one  to  old  King  Alberich;  he  sat 
for  some  time  gazing  at  me  in  perplexity. 
"  You  mean  that  you  yourself  would  see  to 
it  that  the  proper  training  was  given?  "  he 
asked. 

"  If  I  took  him  with  me,"  I  answered,  "  it 
would  mean  that  I  was  interested  in  accom- 
plishing my  purpose." 

"  But  could  you  manage  him?  "  exclaimed 
the  old  man,  gazing  about  him  with  a  vague 
alarm.  "  Could  anybody  manage  him?  He 
is  a  demon  in  his  will." 

"  All  boys  are  more  or  less  demons,"  I  said. 
"  All  have  to  be  broken ;  sometimes  those  who 
have  the  most  self-will  make  the  noblest  men 
when  they  have  been  rightly  trained." 

The  king  seemed  to  take  heart  from  my 
confidence;  in  truth,  I  was  minded  for  any- 
thing in  those  days,  being  accustomed  blithely 
to  maintain  that  any  difficulty  was  but  a  call 


44  PRINCE     HAGEN 

upon  a  man's  energies ;  from  which  it  may  be 
guessed  that  I  was  not  much  older  than  Prince 
Hagen. 

"  If  you  can  manage  him,  that  is  one  diffi- 
culty out  of  the  way,"  said  Alberich;  "but 
your  proposal  is  so  unexpected  I  scarcely 
know  what  to  reply." 

I  thought  to  myself,  as  I  watched  him,  that 
perhaps  it  was  the  first  time  that  the  old  Ni- 
belung  had  ventured  far  from  the  track  of 
convention  in  his  thousands  of  years  of  life. 
He  paced  back  and  forth,  knitting  his  brows 
and  mumbling  to  himself,  twisting  the  ques- 
tion about,  and  peering  at  every  side  of  it, 
as  if  it  were  a  precious  treasure  he  was  buy- 
ing. At  last  he  came  back  to  his  first  ques- 
tion, of  whether  or  not  Prince  Hagen  could 
be  controlled.  I  made  a  suggestion  which  cut 
the  matter  short  abruptly,  —  "  Why  not  see 
what  he  thinks  of  it  himself?  " 

A  light  dawned  on  the  other's  face;  he 
called  the  Nibelungs,  and,  in  response  to  his 
command,  several  of  them  went  to  seek  the 
boy.  As  they  led  him  in,  they  clung  so  close 
to  his  side  that  I  fancied  he  must  even  now 
be  in  durance  for  some  offence. 

Truly  he  was  not  a  promising  person  to 


PRINCE     HAGEN  45 

wreak  one's  ideas  upon;  there  was,  as  Albe- 
rich  had  said,  all  of  Hagen  in  him.  He  was, 
in  the  first  place,  a  foot  taller  than  any  of  the 
other  Nibelungs,  coming,  in  fact,  up  to  my 
shoulder;  he  had  the  wizened,  dwarf-like 
features  of  the  race,  but  with  a  grimness  that 
came  from  elsewhere.  His  hair  and  eyes 
were  jet-black,  the  latter  gleaming  darkly 
from  beneath  deep,  lowering  brows.  As  they 
brought  him  in,  he  spoke  to  neither  of  us, 
but  glowered  sullenly  at  me.  He  gave  no  sign 
of  hearing,  as  his  grandfather  timidly  ven- 
tured an  introduction. 

I  must  say  that,  as  I  watched  this  figure, 
I  had  waverings;  I  began  to  share  the  king's 
doubts  if  he  could  be  induced  to  submit  him- 
self to  me,  and  even  to  hope  that  he  might 
not.  But  the  question  was  settled  otherwise, 
and  with  the  swiftness  of  a  lightning-flash; 
for  the  king  stammered,  hastily:  "Hagen, 
this  gentleman  wishes  to  take  you  with  him 
to  see  the  life  of  the  earth-men;  "  and  the  boy 
started  back,  a  swift  glow  flushing  across  his 
face,  and  a  new  light  leaping  into  his  eyes. 
He  stared  from  Alberich  to  me,  and  back 
again  to  Alberich,  exclaiming,  incredulously, 
"No!" 


46  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  It  is  true,  Hagen,"  the  old  man  reiterated. 
"  It  all  depends  upon  whether  you  wish  to 
go!" 

And  Hagen  flung  out  a  wild  cry.  "  Wish 
to  go!"  he  gasped,  his  face  transfigured. 
"  Oh,  by  the  gods,  just  try  me!  " 

And  that  settled  the  matter.  I  found  my- 
self whispering  faintly,  "You're  in  for  it;" 
and  then  upbraiding  myself  for  a  coward. 

It  was  wonderful  to  see  how  young  Hagen's 
sullenness  vanished;  it  was  like  cloud-land 
shadows  on  the  mountains.  And  by  the  thou- 
sand swift  questions  he  asked  —  who  I  was, 
and  what  the  world  was  like,  and  what  was 
the  reason  of  our  trip  —  it  was  plainly  to  be 
seen  that  he  was  still  a  boy.  Between  his 
inquiries,  and  the  cautions  and  exhortations  of 
the  old  king,  I  passed  the  next  hour  or  two 
of  my  time.  It  was  agreed  that  we  should 
start  immediately,  but  afterward  we  found 
that  it  was  far  after  midnight,  and  so  I  ac- 
cepted the  king's  invitation  to  remain  with 
him  until  the  following  morning. 

"  You  would  find  it  a  tedious  climb  to  the 
surface,  anyhow,"  he  said,  laughing.  "  How 
would  you  like  me  to  have  you  carried  there 
while  you  slept?  " 


PRINCE     HAGEN  47 

I  did  not  make  any  answer  to  what  I 
thought  his  jest,  but  followed  him  to  his  pal- 
ace, a  cavern  in  the  rocks  near  by;  in  one  of 
its  several  niches,  called  the  guest-chamber, 
I  bade  good  night  to  my  host  and  his  excited 
grandson,  and  then  flung  myself  down  upon 
a  pallet  of  straw.  Being  a  tired  and  healthy 
person,  in  a  few  minutes  I  was  sound  asleep. 

The  next  incident  of  this  tale  is  the  opening 
of  my  eyes.  I  awoke  all  at  once,  and  gave 
one  glance  about  me;  then  I  sat  up  with  a 
start.  The  brook  was  tinkling  beside  me,  the 
breeze  was  murmuring  through  the  pine-trees 
above  me,  and  I  was  lying  in  the  hammock, 
gently  rocking,  the  open  volume  of  "  Das 
Rheingold  "  still  lying  in  my  lap. 

I  knew  not  what  to  make  of  it  for  a  mo- 
ment; I  saw  that  the  sun  was  just  sinking 
behind  the  mountains,  and  I  exclaimed,  half- 
aloud:  "  How  long  have  I  been  sleeping?  " 

I  got  up  from  the  hammock,  trying  to  col- 
lect my  faculties.  I  found  myself  debating 
in  perplexity,  "  How  in  the  world  can  Al- 
berich  have  gotten  me  here?  "  when  suddenly 
the  real  truth  of  the  thing  flashed  over  me, 
and  I  started  back  and  caught  hold  of  the 


48  PRINCE     HAGEN 

hammock,  and  shook  from  head  to  foot  with 
uncontrollable  laughter. 

"  Certainly,"  I  gasped,  "  that  was  the  most 
extraordinary  dream  I  ever  had  in  my  life! " 

And  truly,  the  more  I  thought  of  it,  the 
more  wonderful  it  seemed.  It  had  taken  such 
a  hold  on  me  that  I  had  actually  sat  in  the 
hammock,  convinced  for  a  moment  that  I  had 
spent  the  previous  night  in  Nibelheim! 

I  was  so  much  amused  at  these  things  that 
I  never  once  thought  of  being  angry  at  hav- 
ing slept  away  a  warm  afternoon.  I  thought, 
in  fact,  that  if  one  could  dream  like  that  often, 
it  would  pay  him  to  sleep.  "  There  is  a  story 
in  it,"  I  muttered.  "  It  is  a  real  idea! " 

I  took  up  my  book,  and  made  my  way  down 
the  glen  to  where  my  little  tent  stood  by  the 
lake-shore;  I  went  in  and  sat  down,  still 
thinking  about  that  dream.  Every  circum- 
stance was  as  vivid  as  ever.  I  saw  the  dark 
caverns,  saw  the  wizened  face  of  old  Albe- 
rich,  and  the  sullen  glare  of  young  Hagen; 
I  was  sure  that  my  ears  were  still  ringing 
with  the  Nibelung  music. 

"  The  Nibelung  music,"  I  mused,  as  I  sat 
there ;  "  I  really  think  there  are  possibilities 
in  that  thought.  Fancy  a  poet  dowered  with 


PRINCE     HAGEN  49 

the  gift  that  the  life  of  his  soul  should  be 
uttered  in  music;  fancy  him  dreaming  in  the 
forests,  and  battling  upon  the  mountain-tops 
with  the  storm ;  fancy  him  by  his  gift  made 
master  of  all  true  men,  and  wondered  at  for 
a  madman  by  the  mean!" 

Then  outside  I  heard  the  footsteps  of  the 
little  French-Canadian  boy,  who  rows  up  the 
lake  to  bring  me  my  milk  and  butter,  and  who 
always  takes  care  to  arrive  with  his  clinking 
pails  whenever  I  am  nearest  to  the  heights. 
I  gave  up  in  despair,  and  sat  waiting,  for  I 
knew  that  he  could  not  set  down  his  burden 
and  be  gone;  I  knew  that  he  would  need  to 
stop  and  chatter. 

I  was  not  mistaken;  he  dropped  his  load, 
and  then  stood  leaning  in  the  doorway,  twist- 
ing his  bare  toes  together  and  eyeing  me.  I 
sometimes  wonder  just  what  his  fancies  are 
about  the  man  who  lives  away  off  in  the  forest. 

"  Bon  jo',"  said  he,  in  French-Canadian 
fashion. 

"  Good  day,"  said  I,  abruptly.  I  did  not 
expect  to  be  interested  in  the  youngster's  con- 
versation ;  but  as  it  happened,  his  next  three 
words  made  me  jump. 

"  Where  you  yest'day?  "  he  asked. 


50  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  Yesterday?  "  I  inquired.  "  Why  —  what 
do  you  mean?  " 

"You  not  here,"  he  replied;   "where  you 

go?" 

I  stared  at  the  youngster;  I  could  not  half 
believe  my  ears.  "You  are  crazy!"  I 
laughed  —  I  noticed  that  the  laugh  was 
strange.  "  Don't  you  remember  yesterday 
I  gave  you  the  penny? " 

The  boy  shook  his  head.  "  No,  no,"  he  de- 
clared, stolidly;  "that  day  'fore  yest'day." 

I  said  nothing;  I  could  not  even  think. 
Meanwhile,  the  boy  went  on,  "  I  come  yest'- 
day  with  my  pa ;  you  not  here.  We  wait  — 
ve'y  late;  you  not  come.  Where  you  go?" 

Now  it  may  seem  incredible,  but  all  the 
time  I  had  been  so  calmly  musing  about  that 
dream  of  mine,  I  had  been  haunted  by  a 
strange,  uncomfortable  feeling.  This  is  the 
twentieth  century,  and  I  am  not  given  to  su- 
perstitions. But  for  all  that,  there  was  some- 
thing in  me  which  wanted  to  cry  out  what  it 
did  not  dare  to  cry  out  —  that  it  was  no  dream 
at  all  —  that  I  had  really  spent  the  night  in 
Nibelheim! 

And  now,  therefore,  the  effect  of  the  boy's 
words  may  be  imagined.  For  a  long  time  I 


PRINCE     HAGEN  51 

simply  stared  at  him  in  consternation,  grop- 
ing in  darkness;  and  then,  suddenly,  I  sprang 
at  him  and  caught  him  by  the  shoulders. 
"You  can't  mean  that!"  I  cried,  wildly. 
"  It  can't  be  possible!" 

"  W-what?  "  gasped  the  boy,  in  fright. 

"That  I  was  not  here  yesterday!  That  I 
did  not  give  you  that  penny  last  night!  " 

"  But  I  spend  that  penny  yest'day  matin," 
said  the  boy,  stolidly. 

Now  a  thing  like  that  was  almost  madden- 
ing; I  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  run- 
ning my  hands  through  my  hair,  and  staring 
blankly  into  space.  "  Nibelungs!  "  I  gasped. 
"Why,  it  is  utter  madness  —  it  is  ridiculous! 
But  in  heaven's  name,  can  I  have  slept  twenty- 
four  hours  in  that  hammock?  And  that 
music!  Surely  it  couldn't  be  possible  —  " 

And  then  I  stopped  short,  transfixed;  I 
bent  forward  in  wonder,  my  eyes  staring;  and 
then  I  turned  upon  the  boy,  and  saw  that  he 
was  staring  too. 

"Did  you  hear  that?"  I  panted.  "Did 
you?" 

"  Somebody  play,"  he  said,  wonderingly. 
"  Who  do  that?  "  ' 

And  then,  just  as  on  the  previous  night, 


52 


PRINCE     HAGEN 


I  heard  the  sound  again.  An  instant  later  it 
rang  out  suddenly  in  a  loud  crash  that  made 
me  leap;  and  it  surged  louder,  swifter  and 
swifter,  nearer  and  nearer,  until  it  seemed  to 
burst  in  my  very  face: 


SCHNELL. 


cres 


And  after  that  for  one  brief  instant  there 
was  a  dead  silence;  it  seemed  an  age.  I 
looked  at  the  boy,  and  the  boy  looked  at  me, 
and  both  of  us  were  white;  my  own  hands 
were  trembling.  "  That  could  not  be  a  delu- 
sion!" I  found  myself  thinking,  swiftly. 
"  It  must  be  true!" 

And  a  moment  later  came  a  knock! 

The  flap  of  the  tent  had  fallen  down,  and 
some  one  had  tapped  upon  the  tent-pole,  in 
the  absence  of  a  door.  I  was  weak  and  trem- 
bling, and  there  was  warm  perspiration  on 


PRINCE     HAGEN  53 

my  hands,  as  I  said  to  the  boy,  "  Go  and  see 
who  it  is." 

He  obeyed ;  I  saw  him  take  hold  of  the  flap 
to  push  it  aside,  and  was  conscious  of  a  cold 
chill.  But  at  the  same  instant,  the  flap  was 
flung  back  from  the  outside,  and  I  saw  a  dark 
figure  standing  in  the  entrance,  and  smiling 
at  me. 

"Good  afternoon!"  said  a  familiar  voice. 
"  Did  you  think  I  was  not  coming?  " 

It  was  Prince  Hagen! 


CHAPTER  II. 

SOON  after  that,  Prince  Hagen  and  I  were 
seated  in  the  tent,  the  farm-boy  having  taken 
his  departure.  The  Nibelung  had  parted 
with  the  uncouth  costume  of  his  fellows,  and 
was  clad  in  a  natty  summer  suit,  obtained,  I 
could  not  guess  how;  he  twirled  a  straw  hat 
in  one  hand,  and,  seated  on  a  chair,  with  his 
legs  crossed  carelessly,  he  gazed  at  me  from 
beneath  his  half-closed  eyelids. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "what  are  we  to  do 
now?  " 

The  truth  to  be  told,  I  did  not  know.  I 
gazed  at  him  in  perplexity,  and  at  last  stam- 
mered, "Why  —  you  see-- 1  have  scarcely 
had  time  to  think  about  any  plans,  it  has  all 
been  so  sudden." 

"  Oh,  very  well,"  said  he,  with  a  laugh ; 
"  think  away.  /  shaVt  bother  you." 

He  turned,  and  began  coolly  surveying  my 
premises ;  in  the  meantime,  I  strove  to  "  think 

54 


PRINCE     HAGEN  55 

away,"  as  directed,  but  found  it  not  easy  to 
take  my  eyes  off  my  newly  found  protege. 
He,  for  his  part,  was  sufficiently  occupied  to 
take  no  notice  of  me;  everything  was  evi- 
dently new  to  him,  and  he  got  up  and  began 
strolling  around,  examining  each  object  in 
turn.  He  studied  my  oil-stove  in  perplexity, 
and  gave  it  up  as  hopeless,  incidentally  leav- 
ing it  so  that  the  kerosene  ran  out.  He  exam- 
ined my  shot-gun,  looking  into  the  muzzle, 
and  tapping  it  to  see  if  it  was  hollow,  in  a  way 
which  showed  plainly  that  he  did  not  know 
what  it  was.  In  the  same  fashion,  he  wan- 
dered about  the  room,  until  at  last,  happening 
to  see  me  eyeing  him,  he  asked,  "  I  beg  par- 
don, but  what  do  you  do?  " 

"I  am  an  author,"  I  said,  deprecatingly; 
"  I  write  books." 

"  Oh,"  said  he,  "  but  why  do  you  come 
way  out  here  in  the  forest,  and  live  like  this?  " 

"  I  wish  to  be  alone,"  I  explained,  "  so  that 
I  can  think  undisturbed." 

"Humph!"  said  Prince  Hagen,  and  no 
more.  I  was  destined  to  learn  afterward,  to 
my  discomfort,  how  often  he  thought  a  great 
deal  and  said  nothing. 


56  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  You  do  not  expect  me  to  stay  here,  too, 
I  hope?"  he  observed,  at  last. 

"  Oh,  no,"  I  replied,  "  by  no  means.  I 
understand  that  it  is  your  wish  to  see  the 
world." 

There  was  a  silence  for  a  moment,  and  then 
I  remarked,  "  It  is  about  supper-time,  and 
perhaps  we  should  get  a  little  better  ac- 
quainted if  we  first  had  something  to  eat. 
We  can  discuss  all  our  problems  after  that." 

"  I  am  willing,"  said  the  other,  with  the 
utmost  good  humour;  "  what  have  you  got?  " 

"Let  me  see,"  I  mused;  "I  am  afraid 
this  is  rather  an  '  off  day;'  provisions  are 
due  to-morrow."  I  named  what  I  had. 

"That's  all  right,"  said  Hagen;  "bring 
'em  along." 

I  got  out  my  little  folding-table,  and  spread 
the  feast;  for  a  few  minutes  nothing  more 
was  said,  my  guest  falling  vigorously  upon  the 
eatables,  and  I,  in  the  meantime,  diligently 
thinking.  When,  at  last,  the  repast  was  over, 
and  the  Nibelung  had  laid  down  his  knife 
and  fork,  I  coughed  once  or  twice,  and  then 
began,  very  impressively: 

"  Prince  Hagen,  I  think  it  best  to  tell 
you  frankly,  in  the  first  place,  just  why  you  are 


PRINCE     H  A  GEN  57 

sent  here,  and  just  what  I  have  promised 
your  grandfather  to  attempt.  It  is  his  hope 
that  your  sojourn  here  may  have  the  effect 
of  broadening  your  understanding,  and  mak- 
ing you  more  fit  for  the  grave  duties  of  king- 
ship, which  must  some  day  devolve  upon  you ; 
that  it  may  also  —  " 

I  had  a  great  many  thoughts  in  my  mind, 
most  of  them  phrased  very  finely,  as  I 
thought;  but  I  stopped  just  then,  because  my 
companion's  eyes  were  twinkling,  and  because 
I  felt  uncomfortable. 

"Jolly  old  cuss,  my  grand-dad,  ain't  he?" 
observed  he. 

I  was  silent.  Prince  Hagen  remained  in 
his  former  position,  leaning  back  and  watch- 
ing me  under  his  half-closed  lids;  I  felt  as 
if  I  were  in  an  ambush.  His  wizened  features 
had  taken  on  a  quizzical  look  that  was  most 
disconcerting. 

"  Tell  me,"  he  asked,  suddenly,  "  you  don't 
suppose  that  that's  the  way  I'm  looking  at  this 
thing,  do  you?  " 

I  stammered  some  words;  the  other  went 
on :  "  I'm  not  losing  any  sleep  over  the  grave 
duties  of  kingship  that  are  going  to  devolve ; 
when  they  do,  I'll  chance  'em,  but,  between 


58  PRINCE     HAGEN 

you  and  me,  I  think  the  old  chap  means  to 
hang  on  as  long  as  he  can.  Pray  don't  let  us 
worry  any  more  about  that." 

There  was  a  moment's  pause;  then  the 
speaker  went  on,  with  easy  self-possession: 
"  I  have  to  humour  old  Alberich  sometimes, 
you  know,  but  there's  no  need  of  any  taffy 
between  you  and  me;  I'm  out  for  some  fun, 
and  I  think  I  can  soon-  find  out  how  to  have 
it.  There's  not  the  least  use  of  your  worrying 
yourself  thinking  what  you  are  going  to  do 
with  me." 

That  had  not  been  my  idea  of  how  matters 
were  to  stand,  but  Prince  Hagen  seemed  to 
take  it  all  serenely.  I  was  quite  nonplussed 
for  the  time. 

"  I  suppose,"  he  said,  a  smile  flitting  across 
his  face,  "  that  the  governor's  been  telling  you 
some  spicy  tales  about  my  general  deport- 
ment? " 

"Ahem!"  answered  I.  "Why  — he  did 
say  that  you  had  been  rather  —  er  —  " 

"Yes,"  said  the  other,  "that's  all  right. 
And  I  suppose  he's  scared  you  not  a  little, 
and  you've  been  wondering  if  you  mightn't 
be  murdered  in  your  bed?"  He  laughed, 
and  moved  his  chair  a  little  nearer. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  59 

"  Now  listen  to  me,  old  man,"  he  began; 
"we'll  soon  get  things  straight."  (I  was  not 
a  little  taken  aback  by  the  "  old  man,"  but 
I  presumed  it  came  from  the  other's  princely 
training,  and  so  let  it  pass  for  the  present.) 
"  The  truth  of  the  matter  is,  you  know,  that 
I  like  to  have  my  way;  I  always  have  had 
it,  and  always  mean  to,  and  I  can  be  just  as 
ugly  as  necessary  when  I  don't.  But  there's 
not  the  slightest  reason  why  you  and  I  should 
quarrel.  I  want  to  see  the  world,  and  so  long 
as  I'm  entertained,  I'm  all  right.  I  mean 
to  lay  low,  you  understand,  and  look  'round 
me,  and  I  might  just  as  well  tell  you  before- 
hand that  I  don't  mean  to  give  anybody  any 
trouble." 

After  which  speech,  Prince  Hagen  leaned 
back  and  beamed  upon  me,  conveying  his 
genial  conviction  that  he  had  said  a  very  hand- 
some thing. 

I  was  completely  taken  aback  and  overpow- 
ered by  his  condescension.  I  could  only 
reply  vaguely  that  I  thanked  him  for  his  kind- 
ness. After  a  moment  he  went  on: 

"  In  the  first  place,  of  course,"  he  said, 
"  I'm  entirely  helpless,  for  I've  no  more  idea 
of  this  world  of  yours  than  an  unhatched 


60  PRINCE     HAGEN 

turkey.  I  should  be  quite  lost,  and  I  must 
obviously  have  time  to  learn  things,  and  get 
to  feeling  at  home.  What  are  we  going  to 
do  about  that?  " 

"  That  was  what  I  wished  to  talk  to  you 
about,"  I  said,  brightening  a  trifle. 

"  Well,  talk  away,"  said  the  prince. 

"  Your  position,"  I  said,  "  is  not  so  very 
different  from  that  of  our  own  sons;  they, 
too,  have  to  learn  about  the  world,  and  it  is 
the  custom  to  send  them  to  schools,  where  they 
are  taught  everything  that  is  needed  to  fit 
them  for  life.  Afterward  they  go  to  some 
college,  where  they  complete  their  education." 
It  was  rather  humiliating  to  find  myself  offer- 
ing these  suggestions,  when  I  had  meant  to 
take  firm  command;  but  my  relief  was 
greater  than  I  chose  to  acknowledge  to  my- 
self when  Prince  Hagen  agreed  promptly 
with  my  idea. 

"  That's  very  excellent,"  he  said,  his  face 
brightening  up.  "  And  how  long  should  I 
have  to  stay  in  these  places?  " 

"  Some  years,"  I  replied ;  "  it  would  de- 
pend upon  how  much  it  was  found  necessary 
to  teach." 

"  I  see,"  was  the  response.    "  I  don't  think 


PRINCE     HAGEN  61 

it  will  take  me  any  such  time  to  catch  on  to 
things;  but  of  course  I  sha'n't  stay  any  longer 
than  I  wish  to." 

"  Er  —  yes,"  said  I,  hesitatingly. 

"  And  now,"  went  on  the  prince,  mildly, 
"  the  rest  will  be  quickly  settled.  You  have 
any  such  place  in  mind?" 

"Yes,"  I  said,  "I  have  an  old  college 
friend,  whose  father,  an  excellent  clerical 
gentleman,  keeps  a  boarding-school  not  so 
many  hours'  ride  from  here.  There  is  a  sum- 
mer session,  for  which  you  would  be  just  in 
time.  You  will  find  Doctor  Myer  a  most  de- 
lightful man,  and  I  can  recommend  him  as 
a  person  of  the  highest  character." 

"  Yes,"  said  Prince  Hagen,  vaguely,  "  that 
will  be  very  nice.  But  I'll  find  out  about 
him  myself  when  I  get  there.  And  now  — 
we  don't  want  to  waste  any  time  —  tell  me 
how  I  am  to  travel." 

"  Let  me  see,"  I  mused,  glancing  at  the 
clock.  "  The  night-train  leaves  the  village 
at  the  foot  of  the  lake  at  ten.  It  is  a  moon- 
light night;  there  is  no  reason  why  we  should 
not  start  to-night,  if  you  wish  it." 

And  Prince  Hagen  was  on  his  feet  in  an 
instant.  "  Come,"  he  said,  "  let  us  be  off." 


62  PRINCE     HAGEN 

I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  sacrifice  one 
day  from  my  work,  and  run  down  and  see 
my  charge  safely  ensconced.  I  desired  to 
have  a  long  talk  with  the  good  clergyman, 
to  explain  to  him  the  situation.  I  paused, 
therefore,  only  to  fling  a  few  things  into  my 
bag,  and  to  make  my  tent  fast,  and  then  I 
hurried  to  the  boat,  and  was  soon  rowing 
down  the  lake.  Prince  Hagen,  in  the  mean- 
time, was  asking  a  thousand  questions  about 
everything  concerned,  promising  so  eager  a 
pupil  that  for  the  first  time  I  began  to  feel 
encouraged  and  sanguine.  This  continued 
also  when  we  came  to  the  town,  and  to  the 
depot,  and  to  the  train;  my  companion  was 
quite  exciting  in  his  eagerness,  and  I  found 
it  no  uninteresting  experience  to  be  with  a 
person  who  had  never  heard  of  a  railroad  or 
a  telegraph  before. 

I  had  gotten  my  mail  in  the  town,  and  in 
it  were  some  papers.  On  board  the  sleeper 
I  saw  Prince  Hagen  eyeing  these  last,  and  I 
explained  their  use.  I  found  that  the  extent 
of  his  education  was  the  "  three  R's,"  prob- 
ably because  these  alone  were  needed  in  keep- 
ing accounts.  I  did  what  I  could  to  indicate 
to  him  what  the  direction  of  his  future  studies 


PRINCE     HAG  EN  63 

would  be.  While  we  conversed  on  these  mat- 
ters, I  had,  of  course,  things  easily  my  own 
way,  and  was  flattered  to  find  myself  in  pos- 
session of  the  authority  I  had  failed  at  first 
to  exert.  As  I  dilated  upon  the  wonders  of 
steam  and  electricity,  I  became  as  impressive 
as  if  these  achievements  of  humanity  had 
been  all  my  own ;  and  after  that  had  con- 
tinued for  some  time,  I  felt  bold  enough  to 
attempt  once  more  to  entertain  Prince  Hagen 
with  the  beautiful  plans  I  had  formed  for 
his  future. 

We  were  speaking  of  studies  that  would 
fit  my  companion  for  his  future  career.  "  You 
have  no  objection  to  looking  forward  to  your 
kingship?  "  I  hinted,  remembering  how  sum- 
marily the  question  had  been  dismissed  be- 
fore. 

"  Oh,  not  in  the  least,"  said  he,  with  a  smile. 

"  Did  you  ever  think  of  preparing  your- 
self for  the  difficult  task?  "  I  inquired. 

"  I'm  not  afraid  of  it,"  he  replied,  his  black 
eyes  sparkling. 

"  Let  me  tell  you,"  I  said,  "  what  has  been 
my  hope  in  bringing  you  here  with  me.  It 
seemed  to  me,  when  I  saw  the  life  of  your 
people,  that  it  was  pitifully  sordid  and  poor, 


64  PRINCE     HAGEN 

and  I  was  so  sure  that  there  were  things  in 
the  civilisation  of  men  that  would  help  to 
raise  and  improve  them  that  it  was  a  joy  to 
me  to  think  of  interesting  you  in  our  life." 

My  companion  looked  thoughtful.  "  Yes," 
said  he,  "  that  is  true.  If  we  could  only  in- 
troduce a  railroad  like  this,  for  instance.  I 
believe  I'll  set  to  work  learning  about  it;  I'm 
quick  at  things  like  that.  Only  think  what 
a  revolution  it  would  make  in  the  mining  and 
transporting  of  our  gold!" 

I  was  a  trifle  disconcerted  for  a  moment, 
and  I  sat  gazing  at  Prince  Hagen.  Suddenly 
I  asked:  "  Does  it  never  really  occur  to  you 
how  pitiful  it  is  for  a  nation  to  centre  its  whole 
life  in  the  digging  of  gold?" 

My  companion  looked  slightly  perplexed. 
"  No,"  he  said,  "  I  can't  say  I  ever  thought 
of  it.  How  do  you  mean?" 

"  I  am  sincerely  hopeful,"  I  said,  "  that  you 
will  come  to  see  what  I  mean,  —  that  you  will 
discover  in  yourself  and  in  your  countrymen 
powers  more  beautiful  and  more  worthy  of 
cultivation.  Suppose,  for  instance  —  to  keep 
close  to  practical  things  —  that  you  should 
find  it  possible  to  bring  a  little  beauty  into 


PRINCE    HA  GEN  65 

your  land,  to  make  beautiful  homes  for  your 
people  to  dwell  in." 

"  Yes,"  was  the  doubting  response.  "  But 
what  good  would  it  do?  It  would  cost  a  great 
deal  of  time  and  money  to  make  your  beauti- 
ful homes,  and  then  no  one  would  care  any- 
thing about  them  when  they  were  made." 

"  But  might  not  they  be  taught  to  care?  " 

Prince  Hagen  looked  thoughtful.  "  Yes," 
he  said,  "  possibly.  If  they  could  be  taught 
to  care,  then  the  buildings  would  be  worth  a 
great  deal  to  me." 

I  felt,  after  those  last  words,  somewhat  like 
a  bird  brought  down  on  the  wing. 

"  Prince  Hagen,"  I  said,  very  gravely,  "  I 
fear  your  delusion  is  deeply  rooted.  Tell  me, 
have  you  never  heard  anything  about  Chris- 
tianity? " 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  tell  me  about  it." 

"  Perhaps  it  is  there,"  I  answered,  "  that 
we  can  touch  the  real  differences  between 
your  view  of  things  and  mine.  Christianity, 
my  dear  sir,  is  the  religion  of  the  people  whom 
you  are  going  to  visit." 

"  Religion?  "  repeated  the  other.  "  Why, 
the  gods  are  dead,  I  thought." 

"Yes,"  said  I,  "yours  are,  but  not  ours. 


66  PRINCE     HAGEN 

And  we  have  been  taught  that  the  true  ideal 
of  life  is  to  love  one  another,  and  to  find  our 
happiness  in  one  another's  happiness,  in  giv- 
ing and  in  helping,  and  in  making  one's  life 
a  joy." 

I  felt  that  I  had  made  an  impression  this 
time,  at  any  rate;  my  companion  was  look- 
ing at  me  with  interest.  "  What  a  curious 
thing,"  he  said.  "And  tell  me,  then,  is  it 
true  that  everybody  here  acts  upon  those 
principles?  " 

"  I  wish  I  could  say  that,"  I  answered. 
"  It  is  not  every  one  - 

"  Was  that  why  some  man  built  this  rail- 
road, for  instance?  " 

I  stopped,  a  little  in  trouble.  "  I  think," 
I  said,  "that  — er- 

The  other  saw  that  for  some  reason  he 
had  embarrassed  me,  and  he  considerately 
dropped  the  question.  "What  was  it  you 
were  going  to  say  before?  "  he  asked. 

:*  I  was  going  to  say  that  there  were  many 
bad  and  selfish  men  among  us,  and  that  it 
is  fatally  easy  to  let  their  actions  blind  us 
to  the  real  and  deep  motives  of  society.  You 
will  find,  however,  that  the  men  who  feel  and 


PRINCE     HAGEN  67 

act  as  I  have  described  are  the  ones  who  in 
the  end  are  deeply  and  truly  respected." 

"Ah,  yes,"  said  the  other;  "I  shall  see 
about  that  as  I  look  around.  I  don't  mean 
to  take  anything  on  hearsay,  you  know." 

He  was  a  cold-blooded  kind  of  a  person  to 
talk  to,  was  Prince  Hagen;  but  I  was  deter- 
mined not  to  be  daunted  in  my  enthusiasm 
just  then.  "  Tell  me,"  I  asked,  "  would  you 
not  really  care  to  be  honoured  for  ever  as  the 
benefactor  of  your  people?  Supposing  you 
were  to  become  convinced  of  the  truth  of  this 
religion,  and  were  to  introduce  it,  so  that  the 
lowest  man  in  your  kingdom  might  be  made 
happy  in  the  consciousness  that  he  could  at- 
tain true  greatness  as  well  as  any?  Supposing 
that  modern  improvements  might  be  intro- 
duced into  your  realm,  so  that  it  might  be- 
come broader  and  more  beautiful?  Suppos- 
ing that  your  people  might  be  educated  to 
think  and  know  something  of  the  wonders  of 
the  universe  in  which  they  live,  and  of  the 
true  happiness  to  which  they  might  attain 
through  the  exercise  of  their  higher  facul- 
ties? It  is  my  hope  that  you  may  come  to 
perceive  these  high  truths,  Prince  Hagen, 
that  you  may  be  taught  to  admire  such  high 


68  PRINCE     HAGEN 

qualities  in  the  great  men  of  history,  and  in 
the  ideals  of  art.  For  I  assure  you,  when  one 
has  once  been  stirred  by  such  thoughts  —  " 

A  Pullman  car  is  an  exceedingly  unfor- 
tunate place  to  choose  for  the  setting  forth  of 
one's  ideals.  Just  then,  when  I  was  quite 
certain  that  I  was  carrying  everything  before 
me,  the  conductor  tapped  me  on  the  shoulder 
and  asked  for  my  ticket;  and,  after  I  had 
disposed  of  that  matter,  I  was  overwhelmed 
by  such  a  flood  of  questions,  as  to  the  mean- 
ing and  uses  of  conductors,  the  arrangement 
of  sleeping-cars,  and  the  colouredness  of  their 
porters,  that  I  had  no  opportunity  to  renew 
the  discussion  of  the  high  destinies  of  men. 
It  was  not  very  long  before  our  berth  was 
being  put  in  order,  an  operation  which  my 
companion  surveyed  with  wondering  interest 
that  showed  me  I  was  quite  forgotten. 

We  reached  our  destination  early  the  next 
morning,  and,  after  a  breakfast  and  a  cursory 
inspection  of  a  thousand  things  in  the  city 
about  us,  we  drove  out  to  the  boarding-school 
of  Doctor  Myer. 

He  was  a  white-haired  old  gentleman,  with 
a  benevolent  countenance.  I  felt  at  the  first 
glance  that  he  was  the  person  to  help  me  in 


PRINCE     HAGEN  69 

accomplishing  my  plans.  I  introduced  my 
young  friend,  James  Hagen  (according  to  a 
previous  arrangement),  as  a  ward  of  mine, 
who,  for  reasons  which  we  desired  not  to 
make  public,  was  ignorant  of  the  most  ordi- 
nary matters  of  civilisation,  and  desired  to 
combine  the  studies  of  the  school  course  with 
a  general  examination  into  the  things  about 
him.  I  could  see  that  the  good  doctor  was 
puzzled,  but  he  welcomed  his  new  pupil 
kindly.  After  all  matters  incidental  had  been 
arranged,  I  rose  to  take  my  leave  of  Hagen, 
during  which  ceremony  the  doctor  consid- 
erately left  the  room. 

"  My  dear  friend,"  I  said,  "  I  think  you 
should  be  made  quite  at  home  in  this  place." 

"  Do  I  look  as  if  I  felt  forlorn?  "  asked  the 
other. 

"  I  am  sure,"  I  continued,  "  that  you  will 
find  this  old  gentleman  a  perfect  example  of 
the  unselfish  kindness  of  which  I  have  talked 
to  you;  and,  if  you  will  only  meet  your  class- 
mates half-way,  I  am  very  certain  you  will 
find  more  of  the  same  generosity.  I  leave 
you  here  with  that  hope  in  my  heart." 

"  I  trust  so,"  said  Prince  Hagen,  "  and  now 
don't  let  me  keep  you  from  your  train." 


70  PRINCE     HAGEN 

His  reminder  was  not  untimely.  I  had  just 
chance  to  request  the  good  doctor  to  keep  me 
informed  as  to  the  progress  and  the  character 
of  his  new  pupil  before  I  had  to  hurry  off 
to  the  depot.  By  the  evening  I  was  back  in 
my  little  tent  once  more,  as  busy  as  if  Prince 
Hagen  had  really  been  but  a  dream. 

When  I  get  fairly  to  work  at  my  writing, 
there  is  nothing  else  that  claims  any  part  of 
my  attention.  It  was  in  May  that  the  inci- 
dents I  have  narrated  took  place;  it  is  in 
July  that  the  next  developments  occur.  In 
the  meantime,  I  had  heard  nothing  from  my 
protege,  and  had  given  him  not  a  thought, 
except  in  hours  of  leisure,  when  I  recollected 
it  all  and  wondered  how  his  affairs  were 
progressing. 

I  could  not  get  my  mail  except  by  going 
for  it,  and  it  was  not  often  I  had  time  for 
that.  I  had  not  seen  a  letter  for  a  week, 
when  late  one  afternoon  I  entered  the  town, 
and  found  two  bulky  epistles  from  the  doc- 
tor, dated  several  days  apart.  It  was  with  a 
sudden  awakening  of  interest  that  I  tore  open 
the  earlier  of  the  two.  It  ran  as  follows: 


PRINCE     HAGEN 


"  MY  DEAR  SIR:  —  I  promised  to  keep  you 
informed  about  your  ward,  and  I  shall  take 
this  leisure  hour  to  write  you  at  length. 

"  I  must  tell  you  in  the  first  place  that  it 
is  a  source  of  endless  speculation  to  me  how 
a  person  of  this  lad's  rapacious  curiosity  can, 
by  any  possibility,  have  remained  as  ignorant 
about  the  most  elementary  things  as  he  is. 
I  sometimes  wonder  if  he  may  not  have  been 
brought  up  on  a  desert  isle;  I  presume,  how- 
ever, that  there  are  good  reasons  for  keeping 
these  matters  a  secret. 

"  You  have  brought  me  a  very  curious  and 
interesting  pupil.  He  is,  in  the  first  place,  a 
person  of  most  tremendous  energy;  at  that 
which  interests  him,  he  will  labour  with  lit- 
erally untiring  persistence;  he  seems  to  have 
no  idea  of  either  eating  or  sleeping  until  he 
has  learned  what  he  wishes  to  know.  But  I 
am  sorry  to  say  that  what  he  does  not  wish 
to  know  there  seems  to  be  no  earthly  possi- 
bility of  forcing  him  to  study.  I  have  found 
myself  unconsciously  treating  him  differently 
from  my  other  scholars.  He  speaks  with  such 
serenity  and  certainty  of  what  he  means  to  do 
that  I  am  quite  amazed  at  him,  and  some- 
times helpless  to  oppose  him.  I  have  per- 


72  PRINCE     HAGEN 

ceived  that  I  should  cause  much  trouble  by 
insisting  upon  having  my  way,  and,  wisely 
or  unwisely,  I  have  always  yielded.  Young 
Hagen  is  so  very  diligent  in  studying  what 
he  likes,  and  seems  to  perceive  so  clearly  what 
he  needs,  that  one  is  fatally  inclined  to  be 
lenient. 

"  I  regret  to  tell  you  that  the  subjects  he 
chooses  are  very  limited  in  range,  and  are 
entirely  of  the  practical  kind.  He  expresses 
his  indifference,  with  most  unbecoming  lev- 
ity, for  literature  and  for  all  the  liberal  arts. 
He  has  been  fascinated  by  the  difficulties  of 
mathematics,  but  his  great  forte  seems  to  be 
for  political  economy,  and  for  all  the  practical 
problems  of  our  present-day  life.  It  has  not 
been  my  custom  to  teach  matters  such  as  these, 
but  he  has  induced  me  to  guide  him  to  books 
that  treat  of  them.  According  to  your  re- 
quest, I  endeavoured  to  care  especially  for 
his  religious  training,  in  which  I  found  him 
most  lamentably  deficient.  I  cannot  discover 
that  it  has  made  any  impression  upon  his 
heart,  however,  though  the  ways  of  the  Lord 
are  sometimes  obscure  to  us,  and  the  work- 
ings of  His  grace  not  to  be  foretold. 

"  I  was  most  cruelly  perplexed  at  first  by 


PRINCE     HAGEN  73 

the  young  man's  persistent  truancy;  he  takes 
this  way  of  avoiding  all  lectures  which  he 
does  not  enjoy,  and  I  have  been  powerless  to 
prevent  him.  I  feared  very  much  that  he  was 
being  led  into  the  paths  of  wickedness,  but  I 
found,  upon  inquiry,  that  he  was  in  reality 
diligently  informing  himself  about  things  of 
importance;  he  has  visited  factories  and 
stores  of  all  kinds,  newspaper  offices,  and  rail- 
road depots,  and  the  ships  at  the  wharves. 
The  last  time  I  discovered  him,  after  consid- 
erable alarm  and  anxiety,  he  was  attending 
the  Democratic  primary  election  in  our  dis- 
trict, and  was  in  deep  conversation  with  some 
of  the  officials;  nor  would  he  leave  at  my 
commands,  but  forced  me  to  go  home  in  de- 
spair. You  must  write  me  what  to  do  in  mat- 
ters such  as  these,  for  I  am  often  tormented 
with  the  fear  that  I  may  not  be  doing  my 
duty  in  allowing  the  young  man  thus  to  follow 
his  own  inclinations. 

"  Another  matter  in  which  I  am  powerless 
to  control  him,  has  been  his  hour  of  retiring; 
I  was  very  reluctant  to  break  the  rules  of 
my  establishment  in  this  matter,  for  it  sets  a 
precedent  subversive  of  all  discipline.  But 
Hagen  has  discovered  the  newspapers  and 


74  PRINCE     HAGEN 

magazines  as  an  endless  source  of  information 
about  the  world  around  him,  and  these  he 
reads  without  end.  It  is  this  that  causes  his 
late  hours,  and  it  appears  to  be  utterly  impos- 
sible to  stem  the  torrent  of  his  eagerness.  I 
have  given  up  interfering,  and  only  trust  that 
there  may  be  no  danger  of  the  eager  pupil's 
injuring  his  health  by  his  labours. 

"  There  remain  but  two  matters  to  speak  of; 
one  of  them,  is  the  young  man's  relation  with 
his  fellow  pupils.  This  seemed  to  be  one  of 
most  unaccountable  hostility  from  the  outset. 
Young  Hagen  seemed  to  inspire  the  other 
boys  with  aversion,  and  I  was  not  long  in  find- 
ing that  they  had  come  to  blows.  I  was  much 
worried  lest  they  should  be  attempting  to 
bully  him,  but  I  was  powerless  to  find  out  just 
how  matters  stood.  I  only  know  that  the 
young  man  appeared  continually  marked  with 
the  scars  of  combat,  and  seemed  to  grow 
more  and  more  defiant.  Last  week  the 
trouble  culminated  in  a  continued  fracas;  he 
was  hurt  so  badly  as  to  be  twice  under  the 
doctor's  care,  and  no  less  than  six  other  pupils 
were  incapacitated  from  study.  My  vigorous 
inquiry  could  not  bring  out  the  truth  about 
the  matter,  but  since  then  the  quarrelling  ap- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  75 

pears  to  have  ceased.  There  has  been  a 
rapprochement,  but  who  has  won  supremacy 
I  cannot  tell. 

"  And  now  for  the  last  matter  of  all.  I 
scarcely  know  how  to  speak  of  this,  and  I 
only  trust  that  it  will  not  give  offence.  It 
is  truly  a  most  dreadful  thing.  You  must 
consider  the  fact  that  you  have  kept  the  young 
man's  origin  so  close  a  secret  as  my  reason 
for  asking  you  this  question.  Not  many  days 
after  his  arrival,  there  began  to  be  noticed 
by  the  boys  —  I  tremble  as  I  write  it  —  the 
loss  of  numbers  of  articles  from  their  rooms. 
Sums  of  money  were  taken  on  various  occa- 
sions, and  on  no  less  than  four,  valuable 
watches  and  jewelry.  No  attempts  to  trace 
these  crimes  to  any  one  have  been  successful, 
but  it  has  been  proved  beyond  doubt  that  the 
author  of  them  must  be  some  one  connected 
with  the  school.  My  servants  are  all  known 
to  me,  and  I  hesitate  to  suspect  them.  In  this 
most  fearful  perplexity,  I  write  to  ask  you 
in  confidence  whether  there  could,  by  any  pos- 
sibility, be  something  in  the  character  or  in 
the  former  life  of  young  Hagen,  that  would 
warrant  your  suspecting  him.  There  is  one 
circumstance,  a  very  slight  one,  which  turned 


76  PRINCE     HAGEN 

my  thoughts  to  him.  Only  write  me  that 
there  is  no  reason  for  having  suspicion  of  him 
more  than  of  another,  and  I  will  dismiss  the 
cruel  doubt  from  my  mind.  I  pray  that  I 
may  not  be  angering  you  by  this  inquiry. 
"  I  am,  sincerely, 

"  ADOLPH   MYER." 

Such  was  the  first  letter.  Without  stopping 
to  think  an  instant,  I  tore  open  the  second, 
which  I  saw  from  the  postmark  had  been 
written  only  the  day  before. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR:  -- 1  scarcely  know  how  to 
begin  to  announce  to  you  what  I  am  forced 
to  announce  in  this  letter. 

"  I  shudder  when  I  think  of  the  almost 
fiendish  audacity  and  wilfulness  of  this  fel- 
low Hagen.  I  have  been  praising  him  for 
his  dutifulness  and  virtue,  and  all  the  time 
it  would  seem  that  the  slight  restraints  which 
were  put  upon  him  have  been  rousing  in  his 
heart  a  volcano  of  rage  and  rebellion!  And 
to-day  it  has  burst,  and  caused  a  series  of 
calamities  which  I  think  did  never  before 
in  the  world  occur  to  terrify  the  soul  of  an 
unfortunate  boarding-school  principal.  Be- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  77 

fore  I  begin  to  narrate  them,  I  have  to  tell 
you,  sir,  that  you  must  come,  and  come  im- 
mediately, to  take  James  Hagen  from  this 
place,  or  I  shall  not  be  answerable  for  the 
consequences. 

"  I  wrote  you  in  my  former  letter  that  I 
did  not  know  what  had  been  the  result  of 
the  contest  for  supremacy  between  this  fel- 
low and  the  boys  of  my  school.  I  know  now 
that  it  was  a  complete  victory  for  him,  and 
that  it  converted  them  from  an  assemblage 
of  pupils  as  studious  and  gentlemanly  as  could 
be  found  in  this  land  —  though  I  do  say  it 
myself  —  to  a  horde  of  demons,  subject  to  the 
imperious  will  of  this  boy.  I  shall  proceed, 
without  further  comment,  to  narrate  the 
events  which  have  occurred  at  my  establish- 
ment within  the  last  twenty-four  hours. 

"  I  have  a  teacher,  one  of  my  most  valued 
assistants,  named  Tisdale;  this  gentleman  is 
a  most  admirable  disciplinarian,  able  to  get 
more  hard  work  out  of  a  class  of  boys  than 
any  teacher  I  have  ever  had  occasion  to  meet 
with.  But  he  was  so  unwise,  or  so  unfor- 
tunate, as  not  to  approve  of  the  leniency  which 
I  displayed  to  young  Hagen,  and  there  had 


78  PRINCE     HAGEN 

resulted  several  violent  clashes  from  his  at- 
tempts to  bend  the  latter  to  his  will.  Since 
the  last,  however,  the  pupil  had  apologised, 
and  I  had  concluded  that  the  danger  was  over. 

"  Yesterday  afternoon  he  was  rebuked  by 
Mr.  Tisdale,  and  immediately  answered  with 
an  audacious  impertinence  which  completely 
dumbfounded  the  teacher.  To  add  to  his 
amazement,  the  class  burst  into  frantic  ap- 
plause, and,  upon  young  Hagen's  being  or- 
dered to  leave  the  room,  they  rose  as  one  man 
and  left  with  him. 

"  When  this  astonishing  news  reached  me, 
I  at  once  ordered  that  the  pupils  be  confined 
to  their  rooms,  to  the  carrying  out  of  which 
order  no  resistance  was  made.  But  no  sooner 
had  night  come  than  they  escaped,  and,  under 
the  leadership  of  Hagen,  made  their  way  in 
silence  down  the  hall  to  the  room  where  Mr. 
Tisdale  slept.  The  unfortunate  gentleman, 
having  no  thought  of  danger,  had  left  his  door 
unlocked,  and  so  they  secured  admission  un- 
perceived.  They  laid  hands  upon  him,  and 
carried  him  bodily  out  into  the  hall,  tying 
him,  clad  as  he  was  in  his  robe-de-nult,  to 
the  post  of  the  banister.  I  had  no  hope  of 


PRINCE     HAGEN  79 

discovering  the  perpetrators  of  this  outrage, 
doubting  not  that,  under  the  malignant  influ- 
ence of  Hagen,  they  would  all  deny  their 
guilt.  Therefore,  you  may  imagine  my  con- 
sternation at  what  followed  on  the  following 
morning,  when  Hagen  arose,  and,  with  an  in- 
solent smile,  announced  that  he  had  been  the 
leader  and  originator  of  the  whole  trouble. 
Enraged  at  this,  I  threatened  him  with  instant 
expulsion,  upon  which  he  laughed  and  coolly 
declared  that  he  had  done  what  he  had  be- 
cause he  was  ready  to  leave,  having  learned 
all  that  we  had  to  teach  him! 

"  I  concluded  at  last  not  to  go  as  far  as  to 
have  the  rascal  arrested,  but  I  made  up  my 
mind  instantly  that  I  would  not  do  what  the 
fellow  expected,  and  turn  him  away.  I  gave 
orders  to  have  him  confined,  which  was  man- 
aged after  a  desperate  struggle.  I  now  write 
to  say  that  I  give  you  two  days  to  come  and 
take  him  in  charge.  If  you  do  not  come,  or 
send,  by  that  time,  I  shall  very  certainly  allow 
Mr.  Tisdale  to  have  him  arrested. 

"  Further  comment  on  these  matters  is  un- 
necessary. His  most  dreadful  outburst  will 
no  doubt  be  described  in  all  the  papers  to- 


8o  PRINCE     HAGEN 

morrow,  and  I  fear  that  the  Myer  Academy 
may  never  recover  from  the  disgrace  of  it  all. 
"  I  am,  sir,  respectfully, 
"  ADOLPH  MYER." 

I  make  no  attempt  to  describe  my  emotions 
at  the  reading  of  those  letters.  When  I  was 
at  the  height  of  my  excitement  and  won- 
der, an  acquaintance  chanced  to  pass,  and 
called  out  to  me :  "  Oh,  by  the  way,  they 
told  me  at  the  depot  that  a  telegram  came 
for  you  last  night."  I  knew  in  an  instant 
where  it  was  from,  and  rushed  down  there. 
When  I  had  got  the  message  and  torn  it  open, 
I  read  this: 

"  Hagen  has  made  his  escape  threatening 
watchers  with  revolver  cannot  find  him  police 
notified  will  wire  news. 

"A.  MYER." 

This  last  settled  the  matter.  When  I  re- 
covered from  my  consternation,  I  could  only 
call  myself  names  for  my  folly  in  meddling 
with  the  fate  of  this  boy,  or  man,  or  devil. 
I  had  been  fairly  warned  about  him,  I  said, 
and  it  was  only  my  stupid  presumption  that 


PRINCE     HAGEN  81 

had  got  me  into  the  trouble.  I  exclaimed 
to  myself  that  now,  when  they  caught  him  — 
as  they  surely  would  —  I  would  tell  who  he 
was,  and  have  old  King  Alberich  take  him 
back,  and  so  wash  my  hands  of  the  whole 
affair.  "  In  the  meantime,"  I  vowed,  "  I  will 
not  take  it  upon  myself  to  worry  about  him." 
And  with  this  virtuous  resolution,  I  turned 
and  made  my  way  down  to  the  boat.  I  was 
talking  half-aloud,  as  is  my  wont,  and  I  re- 
member that  I  had  got  so  far  as  to  observe: 
"  In  truth,  he  is  a  very  demon!  "  And  then 
suddenly  I  heard  a  step  behind  me,  and  a 
merry  laugh,  and  a  voice,  crying:  "Wait  a 
minute  there,  old  chap ;  what's  the  hurry?  " 
I  whirled  about  in  consternation,  —  it  was 
Prince  Hagen! 

I  think  that  I  .stood  spellbound  for  at  least 
a  minute ;  during  the  time  my  mouth  and  eyes 
must  have  been  wide  open,  for  the  other  shook 
with  laughter  in  every  part  of  his  frame  as 
he  gazed  at  me. 

"Prince  Hagen!"  I  panted,  finally. 

"  James,"  he  said,  correcting  me,  "  James 
Hagen."  And  then  crouching  suddenly  with 


82  PRINCE     HAGEN 

mock  alarm,  he  whispered,  gazing  around 
him:  "Hist!  the  police!" 

And  then  he  burst  into  pealing  laughter. 
I  stared  at  him,  still  half-dazed;  but,  as  grad- 
ually I  recovered  my  self-possession,  I  felt 
decidedly  otherwise  than  merry.  I  was  vig- 
orously incensed  at  his  conduct,  and  was 
determined  that  nothing  should  prevent  my 
speaking  my  mind. 

"  I  am  astonished,"  I  exclaimed,  "  that  you 
are  not  ashamed  to  return  to  me  after  your 
disgraceful  behaviour." 

"You  think  it  disgraceful?"  he  asked. 

"I  most  certainly  do,"  I  declared;  "  so 
disgraceful  that  I  cannot  bear  to  think  of  it." 

"  Then  I  wouldn't,"  said  he,  grimly. 

I  eyed  him  in  silent  wonder.  "  Why  have 
you  returned?"  I  asked,  at  last. 

"  I  came  back  to  tell  you  I  was  through 
with  school,"  he  answered,  smiling. 

"  You  are  certainly  through  with  that 
school,"  said  I. 

"  I  am  through  with  any,"  he  added ;  "  my 
education  is  now  complete." 

I  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  reply.  "  And 
then  you  are  going  home?  "  I  asked,  a  trifle 
anxiously,  I  fear. 


PRINCE     HA  GEN  83 

"  Home?  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Not  much!  I 
am  just  ready  to  begin  seeing  the  world." 

I  stopped  in  my  walk,  and  I  stood  gazing 
at  him  for  at  least  half  a  minute.  Then  I 
said,  very  sternly:  "  Prince  Hagen,  listen  to 
me.  You  are  going  back  to  Nibelheim." 

He  opened  his  eyes.  "  What  do  you 
mean?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  mean,"  I  replied,  "  that  I  am  deter- 
mined not  to  be  the  cause  of  casting  such  a 
man  as  you  loose  upon  the  world.  I  am  going 
to  see  you  again  under  your  grandfather's 
control." 

He  was  leaning  back  upon  his  cane,  twid- 
dling his  watch-chain,  and  eyeing  me  quiz- 
zically; his  whole  form  seemed  to  shake  with 
his  silent  laughter,  as  I  made  that  solemn 
statement.  "  And  pray,"  he  asked,  "  suppose 
I  refuse  to  go?  " 

"  In  that  case,  I  will  call  the  aid  of  the 
law." 

"  And  upon  what  grounds  will  the  law 
assist  you?  " 

"  That  you  are  my  ward ;  that  I  was  given 
control  over  you  by  your  grandfather." 

"  Ah,  yes,"  said  he,  "  and  when  the  question 


84  PRINCE     HAGEN 

comes  to  be  argued,  pray  how  old  will  you 
say  I  am?  " 

"  Nineteen  or  twenty,"  I  answered. 

"  Indeed!  "  he  responded.  "  Do  you  know, 
I  thought  I  was  much  older.  I  believed  I  had 
lived  seven  or  eight  hundred  years." 

"That  is  all  quibbling!"  I  cried,  angrily. 
"  You  know  that  in  your  Nibelung  measure- 
ment you  are  still  a  minor,  and  therefore  - 

"  I  have  been  reading  your  laws  with  in- 
terest," put  in  Prince  Hagen,  gravely,  "  but 
I  have  not  as  yet  found  any  provision  for  the 
reduction  of  Nibelung  ages  to  the  scale  of 
your  own." 

"  I  shall  explain  the  circumstances,"  I  said, 
trying  not  to  show  my  annoyance. 

"  Ah,  yes,"  laughed  he,  "  you  will  explain 
that  I  am  a  Nibelung.  But  are  you  sure  every- 
body will  believe  you?  " 

"I  can  prove  it,"  I  said;  "you  will  not 
dare  deny- 

"  On  the  contrary,"  observed  Hagen,  "  I 
shall  laugh  at  it  as  most  ridiculous  nonsense." 

He  looked  at  me  a  moment,  shaking  again 
with  delight.  "  I  have  been  inquiring  into 
some  of  your  writings,"  he  said,  "and  I  see 
you're  an  eccentric  sort  of  a  chap,  very  much 


PRINCE     HAGEN  85 

given  to  enthusiasms.  Also,  if  I  understand 
it,  your  reputation  for  veracity  is  not  quite  at 
par  as  it  is;  and  now  how'd  you  like  to  have 
the  reviewers  get  you  down  as '  the  man  who's 
been  in  Nibelheim?  ' 

I  shuddered;  I  could  not  help  it;  and  my 
tormentor  grinned.  "  Come,  old  boy,"  he 
said,  "  listen  to  reason  awhile.  You  seem 
to  be  very  anxious  to  have  charge  of  me; 
I'm  sure  I  can't  tell  just  why,  for  I've  lived 
many  hundreds  of  years  more  than  you,  and 
I  know  more  than  you  ever  would  if  you  lived 
thousands.  Now,  take  my  advice,  and  give 
up  the  game,  and  don't  get  into  trouble ;  you 
can't  control  me,  and  you'll  only  make  me 
angry.  You  see,  I  started  out  taking  your 
rainbow  estimates  of  life,  and  now  I've  found 
out  the  truth  about  it  myself,  and  I'm  ready 
to  go  it  on  my  own  hook.  I  suppose  it  was 
very  wicked  of  me  not  to  stay  at  school,  and 
have  my  head  stuffed  with  Latin  conjugations 
and  sawdust,  but  I'm  afraid  I  was  born  bad." 

I  had  silently  made  up  my  mind,  somewhat 
to  my  chagrin,  that  Prince  Hagen  was  right 
in  advising  me  to  let  him  alone;  I  thought 
it  best  to  drop  the  question  at  once.  "  You 
were  not  pleased  with  your  surroundings?" 


86  PRINCE     HAGEN 

I  asked.  "  Doctor  Myer's  kindness  had  no 
effect  upon  you?  " 

"  Kindness!"  snorted  he.  "The  old  sap- 
head  !  And  those  boys  —  oh,  say,  but  I  had 
fun  thinking  of  those  words  of  yours  about 
the  Christian  love  and  fellowship  of  those 
boys!  I  was  smaller  than  they,  and  they 
thought  at  first  that  they  could  bully  me,  and 
laugh  at  me  because  I  was  ugly;  but,  by  the 
Lord,  I  fought  'em-- I  fought  'em  day  and 
night,  and  I  fought  'em  all  around  the  place. 
And  when  they  found  they  couldn't  beat  me, 
they  came  at  me  in  twos  and  threes,  and  I 
fought  'em  that  way;  I  fought  'em  after  they 
had  knocked  me  down,  and  I  hated  'em  so  that 
I'd  have  fought  'em  after  I  was  dead.  And 
when  I'd  mastered  every  man  who  dared  to 
look  at  me,  you  should  have  seen  how  they 
cringed  and  toadied!  And  they  hated  the 
slavery  they  lived  in,  but  there  wasn't  a  man 
among  'em  had  dared  raise  a  finger.  When 
I  did  it,  oh,  it  was  wonderful,  I  tell  you,  to 
see  how  brave  they  were!  Now  I  suppose 
they're  all  snivelling  again,  and  repenting, 
and  licking  old  Tisdale's  boots!" 

"  I  suppose  you  are  not  repenting? "  I 
asked,  after  a  moment's  pause. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  87 

"Repenting!"  snapped  Prince  Hagen, 
fiercely;  "I'd  have  poked  that  man's  eyes 
out,  if  it  wouldn't  have  scared  the  rest!" 

I  said  nothing;  after  a  time  the  other  went 
on,  laughing.  "  No,  my  good  friend,"  he  said, 
"  I'm  through  being  brought  up  in  the  paths 
of  virtue.  I'm  going  to  try  the  world  on  my 
own  plan  now." 

"  And  pray  what  is  that?  "  I  asked. 

My    companion    thought    for    a    moment. 

"  Did  you  ever  read  anything  about  Napo- 
leon?" he  demanded,  suddenly. 

"  I  know  about  him,"  I  said. 

"  I  have  read  every  word  concerning  him 
that  I  could  find,"  said  Hagen,  "  and  I  tell 
you,  that  is  what  I  call  a  man !  Why,  it  makes 
your  blood  boil  to  read  of  it!  And  all  of  it 
began  from  nothing;  it  was  just  the  force  of 
one  will.  Oh,  just  you  wait,  and  give  me  a 
chance  at  it! " 

Prince  Hagen's  hands  were  clenched  con- 
vulsively, and  his  nostrils  quivered;  then  he 
broke  into  a  laugh. 

"  Do  you  expect  to  be  an  emperor? "  I 
asked,  mildly. 

"  The  military  ideal  is  heroic,  because  there 
is  no  cringing  in  it,"  he  replied ;  "  but,  un- 


88  PRINCE     HAGEN 

fortunately,  it  is  not  possible  in  these  days; 
the  mass  of  the  people  here  have  to  be  fooled. 
It  all  comes  to  the  same  thing  in  the  end, 
of  course,  —  the  world  is  just  as  much  the 
prey  of  the  man  who  can  master  it  as  it  ever 
was.  I  see  these  millions  of  maudlin  fools, 
with  no  brains  to  think,  and  no  souls  to  dare, 
and  I  tell  you  I'll  rule  them  or  die!  Only 
wait!  Only  wait!  I  have  ten  times  their  clev- 
erness, and  a  hundred  times  their  force!  I'm 
not  afraid,  and  they  are,  and  I  know  what  I 
want,  and  they  don't!  So  only  give  me  time!  " 

He  had  been  speaking  swiftly;  I  was 
watching  him  with  deep  interest.  His  jaws 
were  clenched,  and  his  brows  knit,  and  there 
was  a  dull  gleam  in  his  eyes.  "  Only  wait!  " 
he  muttered  again,  half  to  himself.  "Time! 
Time!" 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  I  asked, 
curiously.  "  How  shall  you  begin?  Are  you 
going  into  business,  to  become  a  capitalist?  " 

"  It's  too  slow,"  he  answered,  hastily. 
"  Too  slow!  I've  thought  of  it  all,  and  there's 
only  one  way  for  a  man  in  my  position.  I 
shall  make  the  plunge  to-morrow,  —  I'm  go- 
ing into  politics." 

"Into  politics!"  I  gasped. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  89 

"  Yes,"  he   reiterated,  "  just  so." 

"  But,  Prince  Hagen,"  I  objected,  "  it  takes 
influence  to  succeed  in  politics." 

He  looked  up  at  me  sharply.  "  You  think 
I  won't  succeed,  do  you?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  I  said;   "  I  fear  not." 

"  Perhaps,"  he  said,  and  he  smiled  calmly. 
"  But  I'll  try  it!  I  leave  for  New  York  to- 
night." 

"  Democrat  or  Republican?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Democrat,"  was  the  reply;  "  you  have  to 
have  money  to  be  a  Republican.  I  shall  be 
an  alderman,  or  worse,  I  promise  you,  by 
election  after  next." 

"  I  do  not  think  it  is  possible,"  I  answered. 

"Don't  you?"  said  Hagen.  "Suppose  I 
tell  you  how  I  mean  to  do  it." 

"  Go  ahead,"  I  replied ;  "  I  am  curious  to 
hear." 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  in  the  first  place  I  shall 
be  a  member  of  Tammany  Hall  before  I  have 
been  in  the  city  an  hour,  and  then  I  shall  set 
to  work  making  friends;  in  a  few  days  I  shall 
pick  out  the  district  that  suits  me,  and  give 
the  leader  a  good  dinner;  and  after  it  is  over, 
I'll  open  on  him  like  this :  '  You've  an  elec- 
tion coming  in  a  few  months,  and  you  are 


90  PRINCE     HAGEN 

going  to  be  pushed  like  the  devil,  and  you 
know  it.  Now  I'm  going  into  politics  as  a 
business,  and  give  all  my  time  to  it.  I'm  not 
making  any  bluffs;  I'm  out  for  the  dust,  and 
I'm  going  to  get  it.  I'll  give  you  first  chance 
for  a  good  worker,  if  you  want  one.  I  can 
do  what  I'm  told  to  do,  and  there  isn't  any- 
thing I'm  afraid  of;  I  can  be  trusted  with 
any  money  given  me,  and  I  can  shut  up  like 
a  mouse-trap  when  it's  necessary.  I've  got  a 
clever  tongue  in  my  head,  as  you  see,  and  I 
can  make  friends  with  the  best.  I  don't  know 
anything  about  the  issues,  but  I  know  all  the 
phrases,  and  I  can  talk  along  a  crowd  to  make 
you  open  your  eyes.  I  don't  want  anything 
but  to  work  night  and  day,  and  I  am  ready 
to  begin  right  now.  I  don't  want  any  money; 
I  only  want  to  show  what  I  can  do,  and  when 
I've  shown  you,  you  can  give  me  what  I'm 
worth,  and  I  won't  forget  it.  And  now,  say 
the  word.'  Is  there  anything  impossible  about 
that?" 

I  was  obliged  to  confess  that  there  wasn't, 
so  far  as  my  slight  knowledge  went. 

"  No,"  said  Prince  Hagen,  "  and  by  the 
time  election  day  comes,  I'll  be  a  bigger  man 
in  that  district  than  the  leader,  and  the  next 


PRINCE     HAGEN  91 

year  I'll  be  Alderman  Jimmy  O'Hagen,  with 
three  music-halls,  a  gambling-place,  and  a 
dozen  saloons  with  hotels  up-stairs;  and  then 
I'll  be  on  the  way  to  the  top,  and  I  promise 
you  that,  when  I  once  get  going,  the  devil 
himself  won't  stop  me." 

"  You'll  be  President  last  of  all,  I  suppose," 
I  asked,  dryly. 

"  No,"  was  the  grim  response,  "  I  want 
none  of  the  shams;  but  I'll  be  the  man  who 
makes  the  President,  and  the  man  whom  the 
President  obeys." 

I  was  silent  for  a  long  time  after  that.  The 
other  was  eyeing  me  with  amusement.  "  And 
what  says  my  virtuous  idealist?  "  he  asked, 
"shall  I  succeed?" 

"  I  fear  you  may,"  I  said. 

"And  all  your  sublimities?" 

"  Do  not  worry  about  the  sublimities,"  I 
responded.  "  You  may  succeed,  you  may  be 
the  mightiest  power  in  the  land ;  but  I  assure 
you  no  true  men  will  respect  you." 

He  laughed  in  my  face.  "  Do  you  suppose 
I  want  that?  "  he  snapped.  "  That  would  be 
to  make  them  my  equals;  what  is  contempt 
but  impotent  hatred?  I  don't  want  them  to 
respect  me  —  I  want  them  to  fear  me,  I  want 


92  PRINCE     HAGEN 

them  to  obey  me;  do  you  think  they  might 
do  that?  " 

He  paused  for  a  moment,  and  I  sat  lost  in 
thought.  During  our  discussion  we  had  been 
strolling  slowly  down  the  road.  "  Let  us  not 
go  any  farther,"  he  said;  "  it  is  almost  time 
I  was  going  back  to  the  depot." 

I  started  from  the  revery  into  which  his 
words  had  thrown  me;  he  stood  leaning 
against  a  tree,  with  the  rays  of  the  evening 
sun  gleaming  about  him.  I  fixed  my  eyes  on 
his  face,  but  he  did  not  avert  his  gaze;  he 
only  smiled,  for  he  was  very  sure  of  him- 
self, and  strong. 

"  No,  no,  my  friend,"  he  said,  with  a  quiet 
laugh,  "  the  millions  —  I  leave  all  the  sub- 
limities and  renunciations  to  them;  I  do  not 
come  of  their  race,  and  I  do  not  love  their 
virtues.  But  oh,  if  you  think  they  won't 
flatter  me  and  honour  me!  If  you  think  they 
won't  bow  down  to  me  as  a  god!  Mark  what 
I  tell  you,  —  what  I  tell  you  now,  while  I  am 
young  and  it  takes  daring  to  prophesy,  —  I 
shall  some  day  stand  on  the  top  of  this  civilisa- 
tion of  yours,  and  then  just  watch  me,  you  who 
spend  your  time  dreaming  about  the  wonder- 
ful goodness  of  men!  Maybe  I'll  write  you  a 


PRINCE     HAGEN  93 

line  once  in  awhile,  and  tell  you  how  things 
are  going;  or  pay  me  a  call  in  the  city,  and 
you'll  see.  I  shaVt  make  any  pretences,  I'll 
tell  every  man  what  I  am;  and  if  I'm  not  re- 
ceived by  the  highest  and  honoured  with  the 
best,  if  your  newspapers  aren't  filled  with  me, 
and  your  society  doesn't  invite  me,  and  your 
great  men  don't  banquet  me,  and  your  people 
don't  cheer  for  me;  if  I  don't  live  in  a  palace, 
and  entertain  like  a  king,  and  rule  like  an 
emperor;  if  I  do  not  go  where  I  please,  and 
do  what  I  please,  and  command  'whom  I 
please,  —  you  may  send  me  back  to  school, 
good  friend,  and  turn  me  into  a  choir-boy!" 
And  those  were  the  last  words  I  heard  from 
Prince  Hagen  for  a  long  time.  He  turned 
and  strode  away,  with  a  mocking  gesture. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  author  waves  his  magic  wand  and  in- 
vites the  reader  to  transport  himself  over  four 
months  of  time. 

It  was  the  first  day  of  November,  and  I 
was  still  in  my  mountain  home,  a  removal 
from  the  tent  to  a  cottage  with  a  warm  fire- 
place having  made  it  possible  for  me  to  re- 
main and  witness  the  last  rites  of  the  dying 
summer.  But  now  the  time  had  come  when 
cold  winds  and  rain  made  it  impossible  for  the 
most  obstinate  friend  of  nature  to  stay  longer, 
and  on  that  day  I  was  again  in  the  village,  in- 
tending to  inquire  for  some  one  to  move  my 
trunks,  and  to  leave  for  the  city  by  an  early 
morning  train. 

I  had,  in  the  meantime,  heard  not  a  word 
more  of  Prince  Hagen,  though  in  hours  of 
leisure  I  had  often  wondered  how  his  bold 
plans  were  succeeding.  It  was  therefore 
with  a  start  of  excitement  that  I  fell  to  read- 
ing a  letter,  which,  upon  the  first  glance,  I 

94 


PRINCE     HAGEN  95 

discovered  to  be  from  him.  "  My  dearly  be- 
loved Idealist  I"  it  began. 

"  I  wonder,"  he  wrote,  "  if  you  are  curious 
about  the  adventures  of  your  schoolboy 
friend;  it  is  a  rainy  day,  and  I  am  waiting 
here  in  a  hotel  for  a  man  with  whom  I  have 
an  engagement;  I  will  scribble  you  a  line. 
My  thoughts  turn  sometimes  to  you  and  your 
prophecies.  You  must  know  that  I  am  in  the 
swim,  and  swimming  like  a  porpoise.  I  beg 
leave  to  introduce  myself  as  a  duly  elected 
member  of  Tammany  Hall,  a  district  worker 
of  distinction,  and  a  campaign  orator  of 
amazing  prestige.  I  do  all  the  secret  jobs, 
and  the  money  I  take  in  and  pay  out  would 
make  your  hair  stand  on  end  if  I  told  you,  — 
which  I  sha'n't.  If  you  could  only  have  seen 
me  all  summer  visiting  the  sick  and  the  halt, 
carrying  free  ice  and  free  coal  and  free  words 
of  comfort  everywhere!  During  the  summer 
I  gave  an  excursion,  and  the  quantities  of  beer 
which  I  contributed  to  the  edification  of  hu- 
manity shall  be  a  thing  unmentioned. 

"  You  may  know  —  you  do,  because  you  get 
the  papers  up  in  your  wilderness  —  that  we 
are  in  the  midst  of  an  election-campaign  down 
here,  and  that  things  are  fairly  humming. 


96  PRINCE     HAGEN 

What  you  may  not  know  is,  that  your  aspiring 
friend  has  created  a  sensation,  has  electrified 
audience  after  audience,  —  is  more  in  de- 
mand than  the  candidates  themselves,  travels 
all  over  the  city,  and  makes  six  speeches  a 
night,  and  is  generally  having  a  hilarious 
adventure.  Whether  this  letter  will  come 
back  to  find  you  in  New  York,  I  do  not  know, 
but  in  case  it  should,  I  enclose  you  a  ticket 
for  a  shindig,  —  you  may  sit  up  on  the  plat- 
form if  you  come,  just  as  if  you  were  a  person 
of  importance. 

"  Yours, 

"JlMMIE  O'HAGEN. 

"  P.  S.  I  shall  not  write  to  you  again  un- 
til I  am  Judge  O'Hagen;  I  have  decided 
that  pays  better  than  alderman." 

Such  was  the  letter;  the  ticket  read  as 
follows : 

GRAND    MASS  -  MEETING 
of  the 

REGULAR    DEMOCRATS 

of  the 

Four  Hundred  and  Fourth  Ward!  ! 
Citizens  Assemble  ! 


PRINCE     HAGEN  97 

Assert  the  rights  of  the  poor !  ! 
Down  with  the  capitalists !  !  ! 

Spread  -  Eagle  Hall,  November  2d,  at  8  P.  M. 

The  speakers  will  be :  Hon.  Timothy  Flaherty ,  Hon. 
Brutus  O'Grady,  Judge  Patrick  Mooney^  Mr.  James 
O'Hagen. 

Admit  One.      Platform  Entrance. 
WELCOME  ! 

I  found  this  a  very  interesting  document, 
and  it  took  me  but  a  moment  to  calculate  that 
my  train  reached  New  York  at  nine  in  the 
evening,  and  that,  with  a  cab,  I  could  reach 
Spread-Eagle  Hall  in  half  an  hour  more.  I 
made  up  my  mind  then  and  there  that,  barring 
accidents,  I  would  hear  that  campaign  speech 
of  "  Jimmie  O'Hagen." 

As  I  went  back  to  my  boat,  and  as  I  rowed 
homeward,  I  mused  about  the  wonderfulness 
of  it  all.  It  was  funny;  and  yet  I  could  not 
but  shudder  as  I  thought  of  the  fierce  deter- 
mination of  this  man,  who  acted  as  he  did  in 
spite  of  what  I  knew  to  be  his  fiery  hatred  of 
trivial  and  humiliating  things.  I  was  more 
than  eager  to  know  more  about  his  adventures, 
and  to  watch  his  future ;  while  I  packed  my 


98  PRINCE     HAGEN 

trunks  that  night,  I  could  think  about  nothing 
but  "  Jimmie  O'Hagen." 

The  fact  that  my  mind  was  so  preoccupied 
with  him,  made  me  at  first  mistake  what  oc- 
curred later  that  evening  for  a  delusion  of 
my  own  fancy;  it  must  have  been  about  mid- 
night, and  everything  about  me  had  been 
silent  as  the  grave,  when  suddenly  I  was 
startled  by  a  faint  sound  of  music,  —  the 
same  dancing  theme  that  had  first  heralded 
Prince  Hagen's  approach.  I  own  that  I 
trembled,  and  that  I  clutched  at  a  chair  while 
I  listened;  and  when  I  heard  a  faint  tap  on 
the  door,  my  heart  gave  an  unpleasant  thump, 
and  my  knees  trembled  visibly. 

On  the  table  lay  a  revolver,  and  I  gripped 
that,  holding  it  in  my  pocket;  but  even  then 
it  took  all  my  resolution  to  go  to  the  door. 
Outside  it  was  so  dark  I  could  see  nothing  at 
first,  and  I  stood  waiting,  my  blood  still 
throbbing  wildly,  until  at  last  there  outlined 
itself  on  the  piazza  a  tiny  figure,  with  two 
sparkling,  beady  eyes.  I  knew  that  it  was  one 
of  the  Nibelungs.  I  was  relieved  that  it  was 
not  Hagen. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  99 

"  What  do  you  want?  "  I  asked,  controlling 
my  voice  with  an  effort. 

The  stranger  did  not  answer  at  once,  and  I 
stepped  back  into  the  room.  "  Come  in,"  I 
said,  "  if  you  wish." 

The  Nibelung  came  as  near  as  the  doorway, 
and  there  stood,  twisting  in  his  hands  his 
little  furry  cap,  and  gazing  at  me  under  his 
wizened  eyebrows. 

"What  is  it  you  wish?  "  Tasked. 

"  Prince  Hagen  was  here?  "  he  demanded, 
in  a  quaint  little  voice. 

"  Yes,"  I  said. 

"Where  is  he  now?" 

"  He  is  not  here,  he  went  away.  He  is  in 
the  city." 

The  man  stood  twisting  his  cap  more  ner- 
vously than  ever. 

"  You  wish  to  see  him?  "   I  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  the  people  wish  to  see 
him." 

"Why?"  I  asked;  "  is  anything  the  mat- 
ter?" 

"  Yes,  very  much  the  matter.  He  is  needed. 
He  must  be  king.  Alberich  is  dead." 

And  I  gave  a  leap  as  if  I  had  been  shot  at. 


ioo  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  Alberich  dead!"  I  exclaimed,  in  con- 
sternation. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "  he  died  last  night." 

I  was  staring  at  the  little  creature  blankly; 
I  could  not  realise  the  truth.  "  Alberich 
dead!  "  I  repeated,  faintly,  and  half-mechan- 
ically.  "Alberich  dead!" 

"You  know  where  Prince  Hagen  is?" 
asked  the  Nibelung,  quickly. 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  I  know." 

"  And  will  you  tell  him  to  come?  " 

"  I  will,"  I  replied. 

"  All  right,"  said  the  Nibelung;  "  tell  him 
to  come  quickly;  the  people  want  him."  And 
then  he  turned  and  vanished  in  the  darkness 
without  a  sound. 

I  sat  down  in  the  chair,  and  stared  into  the 
flickering  fire.  "  Alberich  is  dead!"  I  whis- 
pered to  myself,  half-dazed.  "  King  Albe- 
rich is  dead! " 

I  was  now,  of  course,  obliged  to  go  and  see 
Prince  Hagen  immediately  upon  my  arrival 
in  the  city;  I  saw  that  it  was  upon  me  that 
the  task  of  breaking  this  dreadful  news  de- 
volved. I  thought  of  the  fact  that  he  had 
been  his  grandfather's  dearest  care  for  long 
centuries,  that  these  two  had  lived  together 


PRINCE     HAGEN  101 

in  their  caves  for  seven  or  eight  hundred 
years.  "  Even  amid  their  pitiful  search  for 
gold,"  I  mused,  "  it  cannot  be  but  that  there 
was  affection.  Death  is  a  dreadful  thing." 
I  shuddered  as  I  thought  of  having  to  take 
Prince  Hagen  such  a  message,  just  at  the  time 
of  the  triumph  of  his  unclean  ambition. 

Meditating  these  matters,  I  passed  a  day 
upon  the  train,  and,  as  night  fell,  I  found  my- 
self in  New  York.  The  noise  and  confusion 
of  the  city,  as  it  burst  upon  me  after  my  long 
sojourn  in  the  wilderness,  made  it  seem  to  me 
a  very  inferno,  but  I  had  no  time  to  think 
about  it.  I  caught  a  cab,  and  set  out  at  full 
speed  for  Spread-Eagle  Hall. 

I  had,  on  the  way,  ample  evidence  that  the 
city  was  in  the  midst  of  its  annual  election 
throes.  It  was  the  year  of  a  great  Presidential 
contest;  the  universe  was  rent  in  twain,  and 
brethren  disputed  with  brethren  about  incom- 
prehensible matters.  As  I  drove  down  a  bril- 
liantly-lighted thoroughfare,  I  could  see  that 
it  was  crowded  with  people,  and  whenever  I 
thrust  out  my  head,  I  saw  that  campaign-ban- 
ners filled  the  air.  I  heard  once  and  again  the 
strains  of  a  brass  band,  and  a  score  of  times 
I  was  whirled  past  a  corner  where  an  excited 


102  PRINCE     HAGEN 

orator  held  forth  from  the  back  of  a  wagon. 
I  had  a  feeling  as  if  I  were  approaching  a 
field  of  battle,  and  would  soon  reach  the  fir- 
ing-line and  the  smoke  of  the  conflict. 

I  knew  where  Spread-Eagle  Hall  was,  a 
large  theatre-building  on  a  disreputable  part 
of  the  Bowery.  As  the  cab  whirled  around  a 
corner,  I  heard  a  hoarse  murmur^that  told  me 
I  was  near  to  a  crowd  of  men;  at  the  same 
time  the  driver  reined  up  his  horse. 

"  What's  the  matter?  "  I  asked.  "  We're  a 
block  away  yet." 

"  Can't  help  it,"  was  the  reply.  "  Can't  get 
any  nearer." 

And  then  I  leaned  out  and  saw  that  the 
street  was  packed  with  a  mass  of  human  be- 
ings. Traffic  was  stopped,  and  a  long  line 
of  cars  stretched  past  me. 

I  paid  my  fare  and  descended.  I  could 
see  the  hall,  gleaming  with  lights,  ahead  of 
me;  being  bent  upon  seeing  Hagen,  I  made 
several  plunges  into  the  crowd,  but  only  to 
be  beaten  back.  Finally  I  espied  a  policeman, 
and  got  out  my  ticket. 

"  Officer,"  I  said,  "  I  must  get  into  the 
hall." 

"  It  can't  be  done,"  he  answered. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  103 

"But  this  ticket!" 

"  Can't  help  it." 

"  But  I  must  see  James  O'Hagen  on  im- 
portant business  immediately!"  I  exclaimed. 
The  man  only  shook  his  head. 

"  You'll  see  him  as  quickly  here  as  any- 
wheres," he  said. 

And  I  was  forced  to  content  myself  with 
that.  I  gazed  about  me  in  the  meantime  at 
the  crowd,  a  motley  assemblage,  made  up  of 
every  type  imaginable ;  once  in  a  while  they 
shouted  and  whistled,  but  for  the  most  part 
they  stood  patiently  waiting.  I  waited  also, 
and  meanwhile  listened  to  the  conversation 
of  two  individuals  beside  me. 

"  Did  yez  ever  hear  him?  "  asked  one. 

"  Heard  him  twice  last  night,"  said  the 
other.  "  Ain't  he  great?  " 

"  Dey  must  be  raisin'  de  deuce  inside  dere; 
listen!" 

There  came  a  hoarse  murmur  from  the 
direction  of  the  hall ;  the  mob  outside  thrilled 
in  sympathy.  "O'Hagen!"  shouted  voices, 
"O'Hagen!" 

"  He'll  be  out  soon,"  said  the  man  beside 
me ;  "  an'  there'll  be  fun.  'Ray  fer  de  Dem- 
ocrats!" 


104  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  Dey  should  have  put  him  on  de  ticket! " 
declared  his  companion,  excitedly.  "  O'Ha- 
gen!  O'Hagen!  'Ray!  'Ray!"  " 

"  So  what  he  said  is  really  true,"  I  mused, 
as  I  stood  there.  "  He  is  mounting  with  the 
best  of  them!  And  I  coming  to  him  with  this 
news  of  death !  " 

While  I  was  still  whispering  that,  I  heard 
a  prolonged  uproar  from  within.  It  was  a 
frantic  cheering,  continued  and  continued, 
seeming  as  if  it  would  never  end;  it  caught 
the  crowd  about  me,  and  they,  too,  broke  into 
shouts  of  impatience.  "  Oh,  but  he  must  be 
givin'  it  to  'em ! "  yelled  the  man  beside  me. 
"'Ray  for  O'Hagen!" 

And  then  suddenly,  with  a  burst  of  light, 
the  doors  of  Spread-Eagle  Hall  were  flung 
open,  and  the  cheering  surged  out  like  the 
rolling  of  a  wave ;  the  mob  in  the  street  took 
it  up,  and  the  air  rang  with  a  deafening  up- 
roar. It  reached  its  frantic  pitch  a  moment 
later,  as  half  a  dozen  men  appeared  in  the 
doorway.  The  people  leaped  up  and  down, 
waving  their  hats  and  howling  until  they 
could  howl  no  more. 

"  It's  O'Hagen !  "  was  the  cry.  "  It's  O'Ha- 
gen! He's  going  to  speak!  " 


PRINCE     HAGEN  105 

It  was  at  least  two  or  three  minutes  before 
this  excitement  showed  any  signs  of  diminu- 
tion. When  at  last  things  were  quieter,  a 
man  stepped  up  on  a  raised  platform  in  full 
view  of  every  eye.  The  mob  gave  a  howl. 

"  It's  Paddy  Mooney,"  I  heard  the  man 
beside  me  cry.  "'Ray  for  Mooney!" 

"  Naw,"  cried  the  other,  "  who  wants  to 
hear  him?  Git  down  out  o'  that!  Give  us 
O'Hagen!" 

The  rest  seemed  to  be  of  a  mind  with  the 
sentiment.  They  howled  and  howled;  and 
when  Judge  Mooney  (who  was  a  stout  and 
pompous  and  exceedingly  red-faced  judge 
indeed)  began,  solemnly:  "Feller  citizens, 
ladies  and  gennelmen  —  "  they  only  shrieked 
the  louder,  "O'Hagen!  O'Hagen!  Give  us 
O'Hagen!" 

The  unfortunate  orator  fought  that  storm 
for  at  least  a  minute,  but  it  got  fiercer  and 
fiercer,  and  he  had  to  yield.  The  cries  of 
"O'Hagen!"  continued,  and  at  last  another 
figure  rose  beside  that  of  the  judge.  I  knew 
it  in  an  instant;  it  was  Prince  Hagen,  other- 
wise Jimmie  O'Hagen,  now  the  King  of  the 
Nibelungs. 

He  stretched  out  his  hand;  the  crowd  gave 


io6  PRINCE     HAGEN 

one  yell  of  joy,  and  then  was  silent  as  the 
night.  Thus,  and  thus  only,  Judge  Mooney 
got  his  chance  to  say,  as  solemnly  as  ever: 

"  Feller  citizens,  ladies  and  gennelmen,  it 
affords  me  great  pleasure  fer  to  introjuce  to 
you  the  orator  of  the  evenin'  —  Mr.  -  -  James 
—  O'Hagen!" 

And  then  "  Paddy  Mooney  "  sat  down,  and 
the  crowd  had  another  burst  of  excitement. 
I  saw  Prince  Hagen  standing  there  aloft,  con- 
scious of  his  power,  and  proud  of  it,  smiling 
and  nodding  to  right  and  left,  shaking  hands 
with  all  whom  he  could  reach,  and  patted  on 
the  back  by  all  who  could  reach  him.  I  no- 
ticed, too,  that  in  contrast  to  "  the  judge  "  he 
was  not  clad  in  evening  dress,  which  I  took 
to  be  part  of  a  system  of  democratic  good- 
fellowship. 

Meanwhile  the  mob  yelled  and  yelled  until 
it  was  hoarse.  When  at  last  Prince  Hagen 
raised  his  hands  and  thpy  became  silent,  he 
said,  with  the  utmost  good  nature:  "  I've  all 
sorts  of  important  things  to  tell  you,  if  you'll 
only  give  me  a  chance;  "  at  which  they  yelled 
louder  than  ever. 

Pretty  soon  he  began  his  speech,  and  I 
listened  with  eagerness.  For  I  was  curious  to 


PRINCE     HAGEN  107 

know  how  this  thing  had  come  about.  I 
wanted  to  see  Prince  Hagen's  plans  in  action. 

As  it  proved,  the  secret  of  his  success  was 
not  hard  to  discover. 

I  have  sometimes  dreamed  of  the  poet,  as 
one  who  stands  upon  the  mountain-tops  and 
sees  the  vast  pageant  of  life  roll  by  him;  and 
the  music  of  it  is  like  thunder,  and  he  is  mad 
with  the  joy  of  it  as  he  moulds  it  into  words; 
but  always  he  is  the  lord  of  it,  and  plays  with 
it,  and,  as  he  sweeps  himself  on  in  the  surge 
of  it,  he  laughs  at  each  success.  All  of  that, 
in  his  way,  was  Prince  Hagen,  and  the  daring 
of  his  ways,  the  reckless  abandon  of  his  soul, 
was  almost  sublime.  He  seemed  to  know  that 
he  had  those  men  in  his  hands ;  and  just  what 
he  chose  for  them  to  do  they  did.  If  any  one 
interrupted  him,  friend  or  foe,  he  had  a  retort 
as  quick  as  lightning,  and  a  laugh  of  glee 
besides,  to  show  how  easy  it  was.  It  set  the 
audience  wild,  and  drove  the  orator  yet  faster. 
When  he  began  to  build  up  a  climax,  to  feel 
the  crowd  about  you  was  like  watching  a  tem- 
pest gathering  on  the  hilltops.  If  he  went 
mad  with  wrath,  gesticulated  and  shouted 
until  he  broke  down  and  went  to  pieces,  it 
made  not  the  least  difference  in  the  world, 


io8  PRINCE     HAGEN 

for  by  that  time  the  crowd  had  caught  the 
delirium,  and  drowned  out  his  words  and  his 
shouts  with  their  own  hoarse  murmurs.  He 
wrought  them  up  to  such  a  pitch  that,  if  he 
had  burst  into  song  and  chanted  his  deliv- 
erance, I  verily  believe  no  one  would  have 
thought  it  strange. 

The  matter  of  it  all  was  money  and  the 
trusts;  and  he  was  a  veritable  prophet,  with 
a  soul  on  fire  with  rage.  He  showed  how  this 
monster  was  enclosing  our  whole  civilisation 
in  its  grasp,  mastering  society  and  turning 
the  labour  of  all  men  to  its  own  foul  uses ;  he 
showed  how  the  capitalists  owned  the  rail- 
roads, the  telegraphs,  the  factories,  the  stores; 
and  the  fearful  iniquity  of  it  all  he  pictured 
so  vividly  that  it  made  his  audience  shudder. 
It  was  a  sudden  flash  of  light  into  the  very 
vitals  of  our  society;  and  it  startled  the  spell- 
bound crowd  with  thoughts  that  never  before 
had  come  to  them,  —  that  for  this  huge  injus- 
tice of  society  there  was  no  reason,  that  it 
might  be  abolished,  that  all  men  might  be 
their  own  masters,  and  that  poverty  and  dis- 
ease and  suffering  might  no  more  soil  the  fair 
earth  of  God. 

"  We  stand  here  free  men,"  cried  the  orator, 


PRINCE     HAGEN  109 

"  brothers  and  friends ;  we  are  not  slaves,  we 
are  not  idlers;  we  earn  our  bread,  and  why 
should  we  not  have  it?  Do  you  ever  realise, 
gentlemen,  that  it  lies  with  you  —  with  you, 
a  sovereign  people  —  to  throttle  this  loath- 
some serpent?  Will  you  lie  here  in  the  grasp 
of  it,  when  you  have  but  to  assert  your 
strength?  The  government  of  this  country 
is  made  by  you;  the  laws  of  this  country  are 
what  you  wish  them  to  be!  If  the  capitalist 
is  your  master,  it  is  because  he  corrupts  your 
legislators  with  his  ill-gotten  gains;  it  is  be- 
cause he  blinds  you  with  his  threats  of  social 
upheaval,  because  he  makes  you  believe  that 
he  and  his  iniquities  are  God's  eternal  neces- 
sities; it  is  because  to-day  the  party  which 
follows  his  flag  can  fight  with  his  unbounded 
wealth  and  with  the  prestige  of  the  great 
names  of  the  land ;  because  the  employer  can 
bully  his  men;  because  the  capitalist  can 
threaten  the  newspapers,  and  bribe  the  voters, 
and  corrupt  the  very  agents  of  the  law.  And 
amid  all  this,  there  is  no  man  dares  see  the 
truth,  dares  brave  the  tyrant,  and  bid  the  peo- 
ple be  free!  Oh,  my  friends,  I  ask  you  if  it 
be  not  true?  You  Americans,  inheritors  of 
the  glorious  principles  of  freedom  that  Wash- 


no  PRINCE     HAGEN 

ington  fought  for  and  Jefferson  laid  down, 
you  work  where  you  are  bid  to  work,  and 
for  what  the  capitalist  may  choose  to  pay  you. 
The  street-cars  you  ride  on  belong  to  the  capi- 
talist, the  house  you  live  in,  the  gas  you  burn ; 
the  very  food  in  your  mouths  and  the  clothes 
on  your  backs  are  made  from  the  capitalist's 
materials,  and  with  the  capitalist's  wealth. 
And  the  capitalist  lives  on  Fifth  Avenue,  roll- 
ing in  his  wealth,  or  idles  in  his  private  yacht, 
mocking  at  all  your  hatred!  I  look  around 
me  in  simple  wonder  that  in  a  land  where  the 
people  rule  such  things  should  have  come  to 
be.  But  I  fix  my  eyes  upon  the  future,  when 
this  veil  of  lies  shall  be  torn  away,  when  the 
people  shall  rise  like  a  young  lion  in  its  wrath, 
and  fasten  its  teeth  in  the  throat  of  this  in- 
iquity. I  look  for  the  time  when  citizens  shall 
have  learned  that  the  labour  of  man  is  for  his 
own  wealth,  and  not  for  another's!  I  go 
abroad  and  I  cry  this  truth  from  the  house- 
tops ;  I  shout  it  into  the  ears  of  men !  I  say 
unto  you,  citizens  and  free  men  who  stand 
about  me,  that  you  —  you  are  masters  of  so- 
ciety—  that  you  are  the  government  —  that 
justice  is  yours  if  you  wish  it  —  that  you  have 
only  to  see  and  know,  and  be  free!  And  I 


PRINCE     HAGEN  in 

leave  you  with  the  solemn  warning  that,  if  you 
are  not  all  in  this  world  that  you  wish  to  be,  if 
you  have  not  all  in  this  world  that  you  wish 
to  have,  the  fault  can  be  but  your  own!" 

And  this  was  the  matter  of  Prince  Hagen's 
speech.  Of  the  manner  I  can  give  no  idea 
-  its  fierce  energy  and  its  thundering  wrath. 
The  orator  wrought  up  his  audience  as  if  they 
were  going  to  battle,  so  that  toward  the  end 
of  his  speech  both  they  and  he  were  almost 
incoherent  with  excitement;  he  waved  his 
hands  and  raged  like  a  madman,  and  his  audi- 
ence drowned  his  words  in  their  yells  and 
applause.  When  he  finished,  it  seemed  as  if 
he  needed  only  to  have  given  the  word  to  be- 
gin a  riot;  and,  as  it  was,  the  mob  broke  out 
into  a  shout  like  the  rolling  of  thunder,  and 
bore  down  upon  the  platform,  and  caught  the 
orator  on  their  shoulders,  and  carried  him 
about  in  triumph.  The  band  in  the  hall 
struck  up  at  full  force,  and  the  fireworks 
flamed  from  the  platform,  and  for  full  five 
minutes  there  was  pandemonium  let  loose; 
to  all  of  it  I  was  a  wondering  spectator,  being 
concerned  about  only  one  thing  else  —  not  to 
lose  sight  of  Hagen. 

When  at  last  the  excited  crowd  had  scat- 


ii2  PRINCE     HAGEN 

tered  somewhat,  I  saw  the  man  make  his  way 
into  a  saloon  which  stood  next  to  the  hall,  and 
there  I  followed  him.  The  place  was  crowded 
to  suffocation  with  a  noisy,  dirty  crowd  of 
men,  but  I  pushed  my  way  in  resolutely.  I 
made  out  that  the  district  headquarters  of  the 
organisation  were  located  in  this  building, 
and  that  here  the  orator  of  the  evening  was 
receiving  the  congratulations  of  his  fellow 
workers  and  friends.  And  it  was  a  royal  wel- 
come, too;  the  place  was  echoing  with  his 
name,  with  cheers  and  excited  exclamations, 
and  the  crowd  would  have  kept  him  on  its 
shoulders  still  if  he  had  not  deprecatingly  pre- 
vented them. 

I  did  not  care  to  obtrude  myself  into  these 
festivities  with  my  dire  tidings,  and  so  I 
waited  until  the  noise  had  subsided.  When, 
finally,  I  came  forward,  Prince  Hagen  was 
still  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  men,  but  he 
saw  me  and  forced  his  way  out,  laughing 
merrily. 

"You  were  there?"  he  exclaimed.  "I 
looked  for  you.  And  how  did  you  like  my 
speech?  " 

"  Very  interesting,"  I  said,  seeing  that  the 


PRINCE     HA  GEN  113 

others  were  looking  at  me;  and  then,  very 
gravely,  Prince  Hagen  winked  one  eye. 

"  Allow  me  to  introduce  you  to  my  friends," 
he  said,  facing  about.  "  This  is  Judge 
Mooney;  Judge  Mooney,  my  friend,  Mr. 
Virtus  Semper." 

"  I  am  most  happy  fer  to  meet  a  friend  of 
Mr.  O'Hagen's,"  said  Judge  Mooney,  sol- 
emnly, squeezing  my  hand.  "  Beg  pardon, 
phwat  was  the  name?" 

"  Er  —  Semper,"  I  stammered,  inwardly 
anathematising  Prince  Hagen,  who  beamed 
at  me. 

"  And  Mr.  Daniel  O'RafTerty,"  he  contin- 
ued, "  and  Mr.  Leary,  the  leader  of  our  dis- 
trict; and  Mr.  John  Grady,  a  member  of  our 
campaign  committee.  Gentlemen,  my  friend, 
Mr.  Semper." 

I  bowed  in  general,  and  conversation  was 
resumed.  "  Mr.  O'Hagen  is  one  of  our  most 
promisin'  orators,"  whispered  Judge  Mooney 
to  me.  "  A  most  extra-ordinary  young  feller 
—  most  extra-ordinary." 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  vaguely;  all  the  time  I  was 
thinking  of  one  thing,  —  the  tidings  I  had  to 
convey,  and  how  it  was  to  be  done.  I  waited 
until  a  moment  when  the  Nibelung  had 


ii4  PRINCE     HAGEN 

turned  aside  from  the  group  to  take  a  glass 
of  water  from  the  bar;  then  I  said:  "  Prince 
Hagen,  may  I  speak  with  you  a  moment?  " 

"  Certainly,"  he  said,  with  some  surprise. 
"  Excuse  me  just  a  second,  friends."  And 
we  moved  over  toward  the  corner  of  the  room. 

"What  is  it?"  he  asked. 

"  Prince  Hagen,"  I  began,  slowly,  "  I  have 
come  to  bring  you  some  news  —  news,  I  fear, 
that  is  very  dreadful  - 

I  stopped;  he  gazed  at  me  in  wonder. 
"  What  in  the  world  do  you  mean?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  scarcely  know  how  to  tell  you,"  I  re- 
plied, tremblingly. 

"  What  is  it?  "  he  cried,  impatiently. 

"  It  is  King  Alberich,"  I  said,  "  he- 

And  Hagen  gave  a  wild  start.  "He  — 
what?  " 

"  He  is  dead!9  I  said. 

It  was  frightful  to  see  the  effect  of  those 
three  words  upon  the  man;  he  turned  an 
ashen  gray,  and  gave  a  quick  shudder,  as  if 
in  mortal  pain.  He  leaped  at  me,  his  eyes 
gleaming,  and  caught  me  convulsively  by  the 
arm. 

"No!"  he  panted,  hoarsely,  "Nol" 

"  It  is  true,"  I  said,  faintly. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  115 

"Who  told  you?" 

"  A  Nibelung  came." 

The  man  leaped  back,  and  a  look  crossed 
his  face  such  as  I  had  never  seen  on  a  human 
countenance  before,  and  hope  never  to  see 
again.  It  was  a  look  of  wild,  drunken,  ec- 
static rapture;  he  clenched  his  hands  once 
or  twice,  gasping;  and  then  he  raised  his 
arms,  and  a  peal  of  almost  hysterical  laughter 
burst  from  his  lips  and  fairly  shook  the  room. 

Every  man  in  the  place  turned  and  stared 
at  him;  and  he  laughed  and  laughed,  like 
a  drunken  man,  like  a  crazy  man;  and  then 
he  began  pacing  the  floor  like  a  caged  beast, 
swiftly  and  silently,  seeking  in  vain  some  vent 
for  his  devouring  emotion. 

"  He  is  dead!  "  he  gasped,  choking.  "  Oh, 
oh!  It  is  mine!  It  is  mine!  Victory!  Vic- 
tory! VICTORY!" 

He  spread  out  his  arms,  and  his  voice  rose 
to  a  thundering,  triumphant  shout.  And  then 
he  sank  down  and  buried  his  head  in  his  arms 
on  the  table,  convulsed  with  incoherent  laugh- 
ter. 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha! "  he  gasped.  "  Ha,  ha,  ha! 
Only  think  of  it!  Only  think  of  it!  I 
am  free!  I  am  master!  It  is  mine  —  infinite 


n6  PRINCE     HAGEN 

millions,  that  no  man  has  ever  counted  — 
mine  —  mine!  And  the  victory!  Ha,  ha, 
ha!  Ha,  ha,  ha!  Oh,  God,  what  shall  I  do? 
how  could  I  have  guessed  it?  It  is  triumph! 
it  is  glory!  it  is  the  world!  I  am  king!  I 
am  king!  King!  KING!" 

And  again  he  rose  and  stretched  his  arms, 
his  chest  heaving  and  his  eyes  on  fire.  The 
men  thought  he  was  mad,  and  I  was  shud- 
dering; still  he  laughed  on,  "  Ha,  ha,  ha! 
Ha,  ha,  ha!  Make  way  for  Hagen!  Ha- 
gen!" 

Then  suddenly,  as  if  remembering  where 
he  was,  he  whirled  about,  his  face  gleaming. 

"  Boys!  Boys!  "  he  cried,  "  say  something 
to  me  —  shout,  some  of  you-- I  shall  burst! 
Oh,  —  oh,  ho,  ho!  —  think  of  it  —  it  is 
mine!" 

"  What  is  the  matter?  "  cried  one  of  them, 
in  wonder. 

"  It's  a  fortune!"  cried  Hagen.  "  I've  in- 
herited a  fortune!  Oh,  millions,  millions  of 
it!  Ha,  ha,  ha!" 

A  thrill  went  through  the  crowd;  they 
understood  now;  and  still  the  madman  was 
pacing  up  and  down  the  room,  singing,  shout- 
ing, gesticulating,  slapping  the  men  upon  the 


PRINCE     HAGEN  117 

back,  tears  in  his  eyes  and  wild,  unquench- 
able laughter  pealing  from  his  lips.  "  Ha, 
ha,  ha!  Ha,  ha,  ha!  Free!  Free!  Mine 
—  mine  —  the  world  is  mine!  " 

And  then  again  he  flung  about  and  turned 
to  the  crowd.  "  Shout,  won't  you?  "  he  cried. 
"  Cheer  me!  Help  me!  Set  'em  up,  boys; 
let's  have  a  drink!  " 

The  silence  of  the  crowd  had  only  been 
for  wonder,  for  the  man's  very  presence  made 
you  thrill  like  electricity.  Some  one  gave  a 
yell,  "  Three  cheers  for  O'Hagen!  Hooray!  " 
And  the  crowd  took  it  up,  and  the  mob  out- 
side took  it  up,  and  the  air  shook  with  it. 
And  Hagen  seized  a  decanter  of  liquor,  and 
poured  huge  draughts  of  it  down  his  throat; 
and  the  men  lifted  him  on  their  shoulders 
as  he  drank,  and  bore  him  about,  still  shriek- 
ing and  gasping,  his  face  still  alive  with  his 
demoniac  laughter.  Outside,  the  band,  in- 
formed no  doubt  of  the  tidings,  struck  up  a 
tune,  the  blare  of  which  mingled  with  the 
din  and  gave  pace  to  it,  so  that  the  men  began 
to  march;  and  Hagen,  drunk  with  ecstasy, 
took  up  the  song:  "Oh,  say,  can  you  see, 
by  the  dawn's  early  light!  "  The  whole  com- 
pany joined  him  and  sang  it  to  the  end  with 


n8  PRINCE     HAGEN 

mad  fervour;  it  was  a  fearful,  fearful  scene, 
and  I  buried  my  head  in  my  hands  by  a  table 
and  waited,  shuddering,  until  it  should  be 
over.  But  I  have  to  confess  that  I  was  com- 
pletely overpowered  by  this  man's  audacity, 
that  I  cared  about  nothing  in  the  world  so 
much  as  to  know  what  he  would  do. 

A  new  development  came  very  swiftly;  the 
song  was  scarce  over,  the  men  were  still  shout- 
ing and  carousing,  when  suddenly  I  heard 
Hagen's  voice  give  an  exclamation.  I  looked 
up  and  saw  that  he  had  sprung  to  the  floor  and 
was  darting  toward  me;  he  leaned  over  the 
table,  his  eager  face  and  his  burning  eyes 
close  to  mine. 

"  Tell  me,"  'he  whispered,  "  quick!  What 
time  does  that  night  train  leave  for  your 
place?" 

"  Ten  minutes  to  twelve,"  I  said,  mechan- 
ically, and  heard  him  give  a  gasp. 

"  There  is  time  to-night,"  he  panted. 
"Come!" 

On  the  wall  was  a  clock,  showing  that  it 
was  a  few  minutes  after  ten;  Hagen  seized 
me  by  the  arm,  and  together  we  made  for 
the  door.  He  took  out  a  roll  of  bills,  and 
flung  some  to  the  bartender,  calling,  "  Pay 


P'RINCE     HA  GEN  119 

yourself;  "  and  to  the  rest  he  shouted,  "  Good- 
bye, boys,  I'll  see  you  later!  "  And  then  in  a 
second  more  we  were  in  the  street. 

"  In  the  first  place,  some  clothes!  "  he  mut- 
tered. "  Confound  my  stupidity!  " 

I  did  not  understand  him,  but  he  dragged 
me  along,  in  the  meantime  talking  excitedly 
to  himself.  Before  very  long,  we  came  to  a 
tailor-shop,  which  was  open  that  night  on 
account  of  the  crowd.  The  proprietor  was  in 
the  doorway,  and  my  companion  seized  him 
by  the  arm  and  dragged  him  in. 

"  Got  a  dress  suit?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  man,  in  wonder. 

"One  to  fit  me?" 

"  I  guess  so,  but  — 

"  Quick!  "  panted  Hagen.  "  Don't  lose  an 
instant!  I'll  pay  you  what  you  want.  Find 
one!" 

The  man  dived  into  a  pile  of  clothes.  "  I 
think  this  -  '  he  began. 

"  Size?  "  demanded  Hagen;  and  when  the 
man  gave  it,  he  added :  "  That'll  do.  How 
much?" 

"  Fifty  dollars." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  other;  "  now  a  shirt, 


iio  PRINCE     HAGEN 

and  the  rest  of  the  stuff!  Have  you  got  such 
things?  " 

"  I  don't  sell  —  "  began  the  tailor. 

"  Any  of  your  own?  "  cried  Hagen.  "  Ask 
what  you  will!  " 

Then  he  turned  to  me.  "  Call  a  cab,"  he 
cried,  "  quick!  " 

I  ran  outside,  doing  as  I  was  told  without 
protest.  There  was  a  cab  at  the  corner,  and 
I  hailed  it;  by  the  time  it  was  at  the  store, 
Hagen  had  rushed  out  with  an  armful  of 
clothing,  which  he  flung  inside. 

"Quick!"  he  exclaimed;    "jump  in!" 

I  leaped  in,  and  Hagen  stopped  only  to 
give  the  driver  the  destination.  I  heard  it, 
and  I  gave  a  wild  gasp  —  "Twenty-third 
Street.  Republican  Headquarters!"  Then 
the  door  slammed,  and  we  were  ofL 

"  Give  you  five  dollars  if  you  make  it  in 
fifteen  minutes!"  yelled  Hagen  out  of  the 
window,  and  then  sunk  back,  and  began  sim- 
ply tearing  off  his  clothes. 

I  was  breathless  with  wonder  and  amaze- 
ment at  all  this;  but  Hagen  did  not  stop  to 
enlighten  me.  "Quick!"  he  exclaimed. 
"  Help  me  on  with  these  togs.  It'll  be  job 
enough  for  two  in  the  dark." 


PRINCE     HAGEN  121 

I  set  to  work  mechanically.  The  adjusting 
of  that  shirt  was  a  labour  to  be  remembered, 
with  the  cab  thumping  along  like  mad,  sway- 
ing this  way  and  that,  as  the  driver  swept 
around  the  corners.  In  the  meantime,  Hagen 
was  still  talking  swiftly  to  himself,  now  and 
then  bursting  out  as  before  into  mad  explo- 
sions of  laughter. 

"  Tell  me,"  I  managed  to  stammer  at  last, 
"  what  are  you  going  to  do?  " 

"Do!"  he  echoed.  ("  Look  out  for  that 
collar  button!)  Can't  you  understand  what 
I'm  going  to  do?  " 

"  No,"  I  said,  "  I  must  confess  I  cannot." 

"Humph!"  said  Hagen.  ("Can  you  tie 
one  of  those  plagued  ties?)  I  should  think 
you  might.  Don't  you  know  that  I'm  a  capi- 
talist now  myself?  " 

I  stopped  what  I  was  doing,  and  stared  at 
him  in  blank  helplessness. 

"Go  on!"  he  cried,  swiftly.     "The  tie!" 

"But  Prince  Hagen!"  I  exclaimed.  "  Your 
principles!  The  people  have  heard  you  — 
the  reporters  —  the  papers !  " 

"Fool!"  said  he.    "Wait!" 

I  said  no  more,  but  tied  the  tie,  and  other- 
wise adjusted  him.  By  the  time  that  difficult 


122  PRINCE     HAGEN 

task  was  all  completed,  the  cab  had  come  to 
a  sudden  stop,  and  we  saw  that  we  were  in 
front  of  the  great  hotel  where  the  Republican 
Headquarters  were  located.  Hagen  leaped 
out,  paid  the  driver,  and  turned  to  me. 

"  Look  me  over,"  he  said,  hastily. 

We  were  under  an  electric  light,  and  I  sur- 
veyed his  attire.  "  All  right,"  I  said,  and 
then  he  clenched  his  hands  tightly  and  bit 
his  lips. 

"I  must  not  look  excited,"  he  said;  and 
then  we  sauntered  into  the  hotel.  Hagen  went 
straight  to  the  desk. 

"Mr.  Weazel  in?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  clerk. 

"  I  wish  to  see  him  at  once." 

"He  is  busy,  sir,"  was  the  reply;  "he  is 
in  consultation  with  the  State  Committee.  It 
will  be  impossible  for  any  one  to  see  him 


now." 


'  Humph !  "  said  Hagen.  "  I  shall  see  him. 
Can  you  send  up  my  card?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  clerk,  "  but  it  won't  do  any 
good." 

'  Wait,"  said  Hagen,  and  turned  away  into 
the  writing-room.  "  Listen,"  he  said  to  me, 
as,  we  walked.  "  Have  you  a  check-book?  " 


PRINCE     HAGEN  123 

"  Yes,"  I  replied. 

"  Can  I  use  it?  "  he  asked. 

"  You  can  use  it,"  I  said,  wonderingly, 
"  but  you  have  no  money  in  the  bank! " 

"  Give  me  the  book,"  said  Hagen,  and  I 
obeyed.  He  sat  down  and  wrote,  and  I  won- 
dered to  see  that  his  hand  was  steady.  He 
wrote  a  check  and  passed  it  to  me  silently, 
falling  to  writing  something  else.  The  check 
read  like  this: 

"  Thirteenth  National  Bank  of  New  York: 
"  Pay  to   the  order  of   the   Republican 
National  Committee  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  HAGEN." 

And  the  letter  which  he  handed  to  me  after- 
ward was  this: 

"  Prince  Hagen  requests  the  pleasure  of  an 
immediate  interview  with  Mr.  Weazel  upon 
an  affair  of  the  utmost  importance." 

And  this  was  sealed  and  addressed.  "  I 
think  that  will  do  the  business,"  said  Hagen, 
grimly,  as  he  handed  the  envelope  to  the  clerk. 

The  message  was  sent,  and  we  stood  wait- 
ing, my  companion  gazing  calmly  about  the 
corridor.  "  That's  so-and-so,"  he  said,  point- 


124  PRINCE     HAGEN 

ing  out  several  notables  to  me;  "you'll  see 
them  all  sent  for  to  consult  with  me  in  a  few 
moments.  And  those  are  some  reporters 
standing  over  there  in  the  corner.  Just  watch 
them  scurry  by  and  by." 

"  But  about  that  check?  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Oh,  that's  easy,"  said  Hagen,  smiling. 
"  I  shall  arrive  up  at  your  place  early  to- 
morrow, and  get  up  a  few  hundred  pounds  of 
gold  from  Nibelheim,  and  take  it  to  a  bank- 
er's, and  have  it  telegraphed  down  here  before 
your  banks  are  open  in  the  morning.  And, 
if  you  want  to  know  how  I'm  going  to  man- 
age the  rest  of  it,  just  see  the  papers  to-mor- 
row. I  guess  it's  about  time  for  me  to  go." 

And  sure  enough,  the  messenger  returned 
and  whispered  to  the  clerk,  who  opened  his 
eyes.  "  Mr.  Weazel  will  see  you  immedi- 
ately," he  said,  bowing  most  deferentially. 
And  Prince  Hagen  waved  me  a  farewell,  and 
was  gone. 

I  was  so  interested  at  the  outcome  of  these 
adventures  that  I  could  not  yet  make  up  my 
mind  to  leave  the  hotel;  I  seated  myself  in 
a  corner  and  watched.  Sure  enough,  it  was 
not  more  than  fifteen  minutes  before  my 
friend's  prediction  was  verified,  and  I  saw  a 


PRINCE     HAGEN  125 

messenger  come  down  the  corridor,  and  speak 
to  each  one  of  the  prominent  men  whom  I  had 
heard  named.  Every  man  of  them  turned  at 
once  and  went  up  to  the  committee's  rooms. 
At  the  same  time  I  began  to  notice  groups 
of  men  standing  about  and  whispering  excit- 
edly to  each  other,  from  which  I  judged  that 
the  news  was  leaking  out;  also  I  saw  that  the 
reporters  were  looking  very  eager,  as  they 
hovered  about  with  their  note-books  in  their 
hands.  Perhaps  half  an  hour  later  they  were 
all  summoned  up-stairs. 

I  waited,  amusing  myself  in  the  meantime 
with  speculations,  and  knowing  that  I  must 
see  Prince  Hagen  again  before  very  long. 
And  sure  enough,  at  about  twenty  minutes 
to  twelve,  I  saw  him  come  down,  walking 
arm  in  arm  with  the  great  Weazel,  followed 
by  a  swarm  of  the  politicians  and  newspaper 
men,  and  stared  at  by  the  very  considerable 
crowd  that  now  filled  the  corridors.  Under 
those  circumstances,  I  did  not  expect  to  have 
anything  to  say  to  him,  but,  as  he  saw  me  as 
he  passed  swiftly  to  the  door,  he  called,  cheer- 
ily: "I'm  on  my  way  to  the  depot;  come 
along." 

I  followed  him  in  silence  to  the  cab ;  there 


126  PRINCE     HAGEN 

was  a  swift  farewell  to  his  distinguished 
friends,  who  were  most  wonderfully  obse- 
quious; and  then  the  vehicle  rattled  away, 
and  Prince  Hagen  sank  back  with  a  chuckle. 

"  Did  everything  go  well?"  I  ventured  to 
ask,  after  a  time. 

"  Splendidly,"  said  he. 

"  And  how  did  you  manage  it?  " 

"Oh,  Lord,"  he  said,  "I  can't  tell  that 
story  again.  Wait  and  read  it  to-morrow. 
This  much  I  will  tell  you  for  your  peace 
of  soul  —  that  before,  I  was  a  howling  dema- 
gogue, and  that  now,  I'm  a  representative  cit- 
izen; and  I  tell  you  I  like  it  a  D.  sight 
better." 

"  I  understand,"  I  said. 

"  Society  is  divided  into  two  parties,"  con- 
tinued Prince  Hagen,  "  those  who  have 
and  those  who  are  trying  to  get;  or,  in  the 
cant  terms,  the  conservatives  and  the  radicals. 
The  one  thing  that  worried  me  when  I  was 
a  radical  was  how  in  the  world  I  was  ever 
to  get  out  of  it  when  I'd  gotten  what  I  wanted ; 
and  now  I'm  out  of  it  as  happily  as  Jonah, 
and,  if  I  wasn't  on  Fifth  Avenue,  I  tell  you 
I'd  sing!  "  And  Prince  Hagen  laughed  hila- 
riously instead. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  127 

"  Oh,  but  I'm  in  for  it! "  he  said,  showing 
signs  of  returning  to  his  former  ecstasy. 
"  Only  think  of  it,  the  world  lies  open  to  me! 
What  is  there  that  I  may  not  do?  " 

"Your  wealth  is  unlimited,  I  suppose?" 
I  said. 

"  Mine  isn't,"  he  answered,  grimly,  "  but 
the  Nibelungs'  is." 

He  paused  for  a  moment,  and  then  sud- 
denly turned  and  gazed  at  me;  an  electric 
light  shone  in  through  the  window,  and  I  saw 
that  his  face  was  alive  with  laughter.  "  Tell 
me  something,  will  you?  "  he  chuckled,  "  my 
Idealist !  " 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Do  you  think  that  the  people  will  respect 
me  now  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  I  said.  I  could  not  keep 
from  joining  his  smile. 

"You'd  better  stay  near  me,"  said  Hagen; 
"  I  think  you'll  learn  a  few  things,  and  per- 
haps you  may  put  them  in  a  book,  and  become 
a  capitalist  yourself.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
before  very  long,  I  shall  own  this  city  and 
its  citizens,  body  and  soul,  and  I'll  be  the 
nearest  thing  to  a  god  in  existence.  Come 
and  see  me  some  day;  my  home  will  be  some- 


128  PRINCE     HAGEN 

where  on  this  avenue  until  I  find  a  place  more 
suitable." 

"  Thank  you,"  I  said,  gravely,  "  perhaps  I 
shall." 

And  just  then  the  carriage,  which  had  been 
speeding  swiftly,  turned  off  the  avenue  to  the 
depot.  "Here  we  are!"  said  Hagen,  gaily. 
"  And  now  for  Nibelheim!  Good  night,  and 
don't  forget  the  papers!  " 

And  with  that  he  sprang  out  of  the  car- 
riage, and  disappeared  through  the  depot 
door. 

I  did  not  forget  the  papers.  This  was  what 
I  read  in  the  official  organ  of  the  Republican 
machine,  the  New  York  Moon: 

"TAMMANY  TRAPPED! 

A  FOREIGN  NOBLEMAN'S  DARING  EXPLOIT. 
JOINED  THE  ORGANISATION! 

And  now  reveals  its  plots  and  contributes  a 
fortune  to  beat  it. 

"  One  of  the  most  sensational  incidents  ever 
developed  by  a  Presidential  campaign  elec- 
trified the  members  of  the  Republican  com- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  129 

mittee  at  headquarters  last  night.  About  ten 
o'clock  in  the  evening  a  man  walked  into  the 
building,  and  asked  if  Mr.  Weazel  was  in; 
upon  being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  he 
sent  up  to  that  gentleman  an  envelope,  which, 
when  opened,  acted  upon  him,  and  upon  the 
members  of  the  committee  then  assembled, 
like  a  dynamite  bomb.  It  contained  a  check 
for  the  munificent  sum  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars,  payable  to  the  National  Cam- 
paign Committee,  together  with  the  request 
that  its  signer,  '  Prince  Hagen,'  be  granted 
an  interview  with  Mr.  Weazel.  The  name 
of  the  gentleman  was  entirely  unknown  to  any 
of  the  committee,  but  the  request  was,  of 
course,  at  once  granted.  The  result  was  an 
amazing  and  almost  incredible  romance. 

"  It  appears  that  Prince  Hagen,  a  foreign 
nobleman,  whose  native  place  could  not  be 
ascertained  last  night,  has  become  enamoured 
of  liberal  institutions,  and,  having  renounced 
his  rights  to  a  throne,  has  come  to  the  United 
States  with  the  intention  of  making  them  his 
permanent  home.  Being  a  man  of  high  pub- 
lic spirit,  he  was  determined  to  begin  at  once 
his  career  of  usefulness,  hoping  thus  to  rec- 
ommend his  aims  at  once  to  his  future  fellow- 


130  PRINCE     HAGEN 

countrymen.  The  iniquitous  regime  under 
which  this  metropolis  labours  at  present  is 
of  course  notorious  throughout  the  civilised 
world,  and  Prince  Hagen  had  read  much  of 
its  practices.  Knowing  how  skilfully  it  has 
been  accustomed  to  veil  its  corruption  under 
pretences  of  virtue,  this  courageous  nobleman 
conceived  the  daring  and  original  idea  of 
coming  to  this  country  incognito,  and  enlist- 
ing as  a  recruit  in  the  ranks  of  Tammany, 
thus  ascertaining  for  himself  the  real  nature 
of  the  organisation.  This  plan  he  carried  into 
success  with  amazing  cleverness.  He  arrived 
in  New  York  last  July,  by  what  steamer  could 
not  be  learned ;  he  was  at  once  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  Tammany,  becoming  a  highly  valued 
worker  in  the  four  hundred  and  seventh  dis- 
trict of  the  four  hundred  and  fourth  ward, 
which  is  under  the  leadership  of  '  Mike ' 
Leary.  The  adventures  of  Prince  Hagen 
during  this  four  months'  period  make  one  of 
the  most  thrilling  stories  imaginable.  There 
was  little  time  for  much  to  be  learned  last 
night,  and,  in  fact,  it  was  decided  to  keep 
these  matters  a  secret  at  present.  But  it  may 
be  stated,  upon  authority,  that  revelations  of 
a  most  sensational  character  will  surely  fol- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  131 

low,  for  Prince  Hagen's  very  voice  showed 
the  deep  intensity  of  his  nature  and  the  deter- 
mined resolution  of  his  character,  and  he 
made  plain  that  he  had  been  deeply  stirred 
to  wrath  by  the  iniquities  he  had  witnessed. 
It  is  certain  that  many  men  high  up  in  Tam- 
many Hall  are  trembling  in  their  boots,  as 
they  read  this  news  to-day,  for,  so  well  did  the 
nobleman  conceal  his  real  identity  that  he 
became  a  confidential  agent  of  Leary,  and  was 
admitted  to  full  knowledge  of  all  the  work- 
ings of  the  organisation.  He  has  a  full  list 
of  all  the  secret  purposes  to  which  the  cam- 
paign money  of  Tammany  has  been  applied, 
and  is  acquainted  with  all  the  methods  of 
bribery  and  corruption  which  it  has  em- 
ployed. It  is  probable  that  many  arrests  will 
follow  from  his  revelations,  and  it  is  expected 
that  their  publication,  which  will  be  made  in 
full  before  election-day,  will  profoundly  in- 
fluence public  opinion.  There  is  full  evi- 
dence of  a  well-concocted  plot,  on  the  part  of 
the  Tammany  heelers,  to  capture  Leary's  dis- 
trict by  fraud,  and  also  a  hideous  tale  of  black- 
mail levied  upon  gambling-houses  and  resorts 
of  still  more  pernicious  character,  for  the  ex- 
penses of  the  campaign.  The  nobleman  has 


132  PRINCE     HAGEN 

himself,  incredible  as  it  may  appear,  been 
the  agent  for  the  collecting  of  this  tribute, 
and  the  paying  of  it  to  the  proper  persons. 

"  Less  important,  perhaps,  but  still  more 
picturesque  than  these  things,  is  Prince  Ha- 
gen's  account  of  his  adventures  during  the 
months  before  election,  when  he  was  instructed 
by  a  cynical  district  leader  in  the  arts  of  ingra- 
tiating himself  into  favour  with  the  ignorant 
poor  of  the  tenement-houses,  by  the  distrib- 
uting of  free  ice  and  coal.  The  prince,  who 
was  known  by  the  name  of  i  Jimmie  O'Ha- 
gen,'  spent  a  large  sum  of  money,  which  was 
really  taken  from  his  vast  fortune,  but  which 
his  fellow  workers  assumed  he  had  privately 
collected  by  infamous  methods,  upon  a  great 
excursion,  which  was  described  at  the  time 
in  this  paper,  and  which  attracted  attention 
for  the  disreputable  character  of  those  who 
attended  it,  and  for  the  scenes  of  riot  which 
prevailed  on  board  the  steamer.  Too  much 
praise  cannot,  we  think,  be  given  to  a  gentle- 
man of  noble  blood  and  refined  tastes  who 
thus  placed  himself  among  scenes  of  degrada- 
tion for  the  sake  of  a  lofty  purpose.  Another 
extremely  interesting  phase  of  Prince  Hagen's 
experiences  is  the  reputation  which  he  ob- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  133 

tained  as  an  orator;  catching  all  the  cant 
phrases  with  which  the  demagogues  are  at 
present  beguiling  the  ignorant  and  dissatis- 
fied elements  of  our  population,  he  infused 
into  them  such  vigour  of  manner  as  to  produce 
most  extraordinary  effects  upon  his  audiences. 

"  During  the  last  few  days  accounts  have 
several  times  appeared  in  this  paper  of  the 
extravagant  orations  of  ( Jimmie  O'Hagen,7 
—  orations  which,  in  ridiculing,  we  had  no 
idea  were  secretly  meant  by  their  brilliant 
author  as  burlesques.  Last  night  Prince  Ha- 
gen  delivered  at  *  Spread-Eagle  Hall '  an 
address  to  an  enthusiastic  throng,  denouncing 
the  capitalists  in  such  fierce  terms  as  to  drive 
his  audience  almost  wild  with  rage,  and  him- 
self with  laughter.  An  account  of  this  ex- 
traordinary speech  was  already  in  type  at  our 
office  when  tidings  of  the  new  developments 
arrived --the  former  article  is  appended  be- 
low. This  speech  was  the  climax  of  the  noble- 
man's Tammany  experiences,  and  immedi- 
ately afterward  he  drove  to  the  Republican 
headquarters  to  tell  his  story. 

"  Prince  Hagen  is,  in  personal  appearance, 
a  man  slightly  below  the  medium  size,  with 
a  small  face,  much  wrinkled  and  expressive 


134  PRINCE     HAGEN 

of  the  keenest  intelligence.  Clad,  as  he  was 
last  night,  in  a  perfectly  fitting  and  tasteful 
dress  suit,  one  could  not  but  wonder  how  his 
fellow  workers  of  Tammany  failed  to  discern 
that  he  was  a  man  of  aristocratic  breeding. 
Prince  Hagen's  voice  is  deep  and  earnest,  and 
readily  expresses  his  feelings.  He  evinced 
last  night  the  profoundest  aversion  for  the 
corruption  with  which  he  had  become  ac- 
quainted. He  declared  that  his  unprece- 
dented contribution  to  the  campaign  fund 
was  to  be  considered  as  an  expression  of  this, 
and  that  he  stood  ready  to  follow  it  by  other 
donations  if,  in  the  judgment  of  the  commit- 
tee, it  was  not  too  late  to  spend  it  advanta- 
geously to  prevent  the  triumph  of  principles 
of  public  dishonesty  in  city  and  nation.  The 
prince  declared  that,  in  his  judgment,  a  vic- 
tory of  the  Democratic  nominee  for  President 
would  be  a  public  calamity  beyond  any  words. 
"  The  estates  from  which  Prince  Hagen  has 
made  this  great  donation  are  said  to  be  of 
tremendous  extent,  and  their  owner  himself 
stated  that  he  could  not  tell  their  size.  He 
did  not  state  in  what  part  of  the  world  they 
are  located,  but  he  intimated  that  they  con- 
tained extensive  mines  of  gold,  great  quanti- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  135 

ties  of  which  he  has  already  had  secretly 
conveyed  to  this  country.  After  making  his 
declaration,  Prince  Hagen  left  the  city  last 
night  for  a  destination  unascertained;  he 
stated,  however,  that  it  was  his  intention  to 
make  New  York  his  permanent  home,  and 
that  he  should  at  once  begin  the  construction 
of  a  mansion  which  should  outshine  any  of  the 
homes  of  our  millionaires.  It  is  his  intention 
to  enter  society,  where  his  vast  wealth  and 
high  rank,  combined  with  the  prestige  of  his 
present  coup,  should  give  him  swift  success." 

Such  was  the  narrative  of  Prince  Hagen's 
doings.  I  had,  after  this,  for  some  time  no 
source  of  information  about  him  except  the 
newspapers,  and  so  I  cannot  tell  my  story  ex- 
cept by  following  their  accounts.  On  the 
following  day  there  was  substantially  no  fur- 
ther news  about  him,  except  that  no  one  knew 
where  he  was,  and  that  efforts  to  learn  the 
country  from  which  he  came  had  been  un- 
successful, though  there  were  guesses  ranging 
from  the  South  Sea  Islands  through  Pata- 
gonia to  Bohemia  and  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope;  it  appeared  also  that  public  curiosity 
was  intensely  excited,  and  there  were  pub- 


136  PRINCE     HAGEN1 

lished  long  interviews  with  every  one  who  had 
anything  to  do  with  the  matter;  likewise  a 
thousand  anecdotes  about  James  O'Hagen's 
Tammany  career  were  invented  by  ambitious 
journalists  and  contradicted  by  no  one. 

On  the  next  day  the  news  was  spread  that 
Prince  Hagen  had  returned  to  the  city  in 
good  health  and  spirits,  and  had  made  a  fur- 
ther contribution  to  the  campaign  fund;  and 
most  important  of  all,  it  was  stated  that  the 
promised  revelations  were  to  be  made  public 
at  a  grand  mass-meeting  of  citizens  at  Madi- 
son Square  Garden  on  the  following  night. 

I  suppose  no  one  of  my  readers  has  for- 
gotten that  memorable  evening.  I  was  there 
early,  and  likewise  ten  or  twelve  thousand 
others;  and  when  Prince  Hagen  appeared 
we  gave  him  an  ovation.  It  was  a  wonderful 
sight  afterward  to  see  that  single  man  holding 
his  audience  silent  and  motionless  with  de- 
light and  wonder  for  three  long  hours. 

He  began,  as  he  had  promised,  with  his  ex- 
posure of  Tammany,  and  the  angriest  Demo- 
crat in  that  crowd  must  have  shivered  at  the 
image  which  he  unfolded  —  the  more  so 
since  he  spoke  no  word  that  was  not  from 
his  own  experience.  He  showed  how  a  band 


PRINCE     HA  GEN  137 

of  robbers  had  gotten  command  of  the  ma- 
chinery of  a  great  party,  and  were  using  the 
prestige  of  its  name  to  gain  opportunities  of 
plunder  and  corruption;  he  showed  how, 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  the  vast 
organisation  was  held  together  by  self-inter- 
est, how  its  members  reaped  the  rich  harvest 
of  blackmail  and  of  the  patronage  of  a  great 
city's  government;  he  showed  how  vice  was 
protected,  and  how  corruption  was  shielded; 
he  showed  how,  year  by  year,  the  poor  and 
ignorant  of  the  city  were  beguiled  by  sham 
charities,  and  how  honest  men  were  deceived 
by  virtuous  pretences;  he  showed  how  the 
ill-gotten  wealth  was  partly  spent  in  bribery 
to  maintain  the  system,  and  how  the  unwisdom 
of  opponents  had  contributed  to  continue  the 
shameful  wrong.  All  this  he  proved  by  facts 
and  figures,  and  delivered  with  such  glow- 
ing fervour  of  indignation,  tempered,  how- 
ever, with  serene  self-command,  that  his 
audience  thrilled  and  trembled,  and  when 
they  did  break  forth,  made  the  air  shake  with 
their  applause. 

And  after  these  things  he  came  to  the  cam- 
paign and  its  issues. 

"  But,  fellow  citizens  —  I  trust  I  may  use 


138  PRINCE     HAGEN 

that  appellation"  (applause  and  cries  of 
assent)  —  "  fellow  citizens,  then,  I  wonder  if 
you  realise  what  this  thing  means?  Listen 
to  .me ;  we  stand,  you  and  I,  the  men  of  this 
republic,  at  the  dawn  of  a  new  era  in  human 
history.  Before  it  the  selfish  egotisms  of  men 
were  held  in  bond  by  a  despot,  sword  and 
bullet  were  the  reasons  for  which  men  obeyed 
the  law.  But  now  we  have  hungered  for  a 
new  glory,  we  have  vowed  that  we  will  show 
new  truth  and  new  righteousness  in  the  hearts 
of  men;  we  have  chosen  to  demonstrate  to 
the  watching  nations  that  '  man  is  man  and 
master  of  his  fate,'  that  he  needs  no  will  to 
guide  him  but  the  law  of  his  own  conscience, 
that,  in  short,  he  can  be  free,  and  still  be 
just.  And  oh,  my  friends,  it  is  a  wonderful 
thing;  but  it  is  a  thing  so  infinitely  perilous! 
Do  you  ever  stop  to  think,  you  men  who  build 
this  nation,  what  a  vast  mass  of  passion  and 
greed  you  have  pent  up  by  the  stern  example 
of  your  will?  The  majority  of  men  are 
never  comfortable,  through  their  own  weak- 
ness and  badness  they  must  needs  be  ever 
struggling  with  poverty  and  sin;  and  they 
look  at  the  unthinkable  wealth  that  society 
has  amassed,  they  look  at  it  as  a  wild  beast 


PRINCE     HAGEN  139 

stares  at  his  prey,  greedy  and  savage,  waiting 
only  a  signal  to  spring.  And  what  is  it  that 
restrains  them?  Is  it  any  reasoning  of  their 
own?  Do  you  suppose  that  the  dweller  in 
our  tenements  can  perceive  for  himself  the 
truth  that  brain  must  be  lord  of  body,  that 
great  enterprise  must  needs  be  in  the  hands 
of  men  of  mind,  and  that  the  so-called  capital- 
ist is  the  most  hard-worked  and  the  most 
precious  member  of  our  society?  To  speak 
of  such  a  thing  is  to  see  its  absurdity;  the 
mass  of  the  ignorant  and  discontented  see 
only  that  they  labour,  and  that  another  has 
the  wealth;  and  if  there  is  anything  that  re- 
strains them  from  taking  what  they  wish  by 
force,  it  is  nothing  but  the  sentiment  which  we 
have  built  up,  of  respect  for  society  and  for 
the  principles  of  public  honesty  and  law.  I 
tell  you,  as  I  look  at  this  republic  of  ours,  I  see 
a  sight  that  makes  me  tremble;  now  that  the 
power  rests  solely  with  the  people,  there  is 
no  longer  any  need  that  the  poor  man  be  in- 
cited to  violence,  no  longer  need  of  stirring 
riot  and  pillage;  there  is  a  subtler  method, 
there  is  a  more  fearful  danger.  For  the  man 
of  our  time  has  not  only  the  power  of  his 
brains,  he  has  the  power  of  the  ballot!  He 


J40  PRINCE     HAGEN 

may  not  be  willing  to  steal,  but  now  there  is 
another  way  shown  him  by  which  he  may 
possess  himself  of  what  is  not  justly  his  own! 
There  is  ever  a  class  of  men,  creatures  who 
prowl  about  the  outskirts  of  society,  seeking 
a  chance  to  attack  and  devour;  who  are  eager 
to  point  out  this  dreadful  truth  to  the  poor, 
—  that  there  is  no  longer  any  government 
but  themselves,  that  there  is  no  longer  any  law 
except  the  law  they  make.  And  I  tell  you  in 
all  solemnity,  my  fellow  citizens,  that  I  be- 
lieve that  the  future  of  Democracy  hangs 
upon  that  pivot,  I  believe  that  the  decision 
whether  society  can  be  entrusted  to  the  care 
of  the  mass  of  its  own  members,  depends 
upon  the  one  fact,  whether  those  among  us 
who  have  mind  and  conscience  can  inspire 
the  whole  body  with  our  sentiments,  can  main- 
tain a  respect  for  public  justice  and  for  pri- 
vate rights  that  will  awe  and  restrain  the 
restless  element.  And,  my  dear  friends,  it  is 
for  this  reason,  and  no  other  reason,  that  I 
am  here  to-night  to  speak  to  you ;  it  is  for  this 
reason,  and  for  no  other  reason,  that  I  give  all 
the  labour  of  my  soul  to  the  support  of  the 
Republican  candidate;  it  is  because,  when- 
ever I  hear  a  word  spoken  about  legislation 


PRINCE     HAGEN  141 

for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  at  the  expense  of 
the  rich,  I  tremble,  not  for  my  purse  and  for 
my  possessions,  but  for  the  future  of  this  land 
of  ours  and  for  the  future  of  the  human 
race!"  (Tremendous  enthusiasm.) 

I  have  come  now  almost  to  the  end  of  the 
political  career  of  Prince  Hagen;  and  I 
may  finish  the  subject  in  a  few  words.  Bril- 
liant as  this  start  of  his  was  admitted  by  every 
one  to  be,  I  soon  learned  that  it  was  elsewhere 
that  his  ambition  guided  him.  There  is  no 
need  to  state  here  what  was  the  outcome  of 
the  campaign,  or  to  bear  witness  to  the 
magnificence  of  the  banquet  which  was  ten- 
dered to  Prince  Hagen  by  grateful  citizens; 
nor  should  it  be  necessary  to  do  more  than  hint 
what  was  done  with  the  evidence  which  he 
possessed  against  Tammany  officials.  It  is 
a  matter  of  common  information  how  these 
gentlemen  were  severally  indicted,  and  how 
after  delays  and  delays  repeated,  public  atten- 
tion was  gradually  turned  to  other  matters, 
and  the  whole  affair  was  dropped.  This  same 
thing  has  happened  so  often  that  people 
who  follow  New  York  politics  may  not  know 
to  just  which  cases  I  refer,  but  that  is  a  mat- 
ter of  no  great  consequence  to  our  story. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

I  GO  on  to  trace  the  adventures  of  my  hero. 
I  saw  no  more  of  him  for  a  long  period,  but  he 
was  by  that  time  a  public  character,  and  I  was 
therefore  quite  as  well  informed.  I  have 
concluded  that  the  best  way  I  can  follow  the 
present  part  of  his  career  is  to  give  a  few  of 
the  newspaper  items  just  as  I  read  them  my- 
self at  intervals: 

New  York  Hurled,  November  IQth. 

"  A  rumour  was  bruited  about  social  cir- 
cles yesterday,  which,  although  up  to  a  late 
hour  last  night  it  had  not  been  verified, 
created,  nevertheless,  not  a  little  excitement. 
It  concerned  the  foreign  nobleman,  said  to  be 
a  millionaire,  who  recently  created  such  a 
furor  by  his  expose  of  Tammany  Hall.  It 
has  been  understood  that  Prince  Hagen,  who 
has  since  then  been  staying  at  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria,  had  in  mind  to  make  New  York  his 

permanent  home,  and  to  entertain  extensively 

142 


PRINCE     HAGEN  143 

throughout  the  winter;  yesterday's  report 
was  that  he  had  purchased  the  old  Dyeman- 
dust  mansion  at  Five  Hundred  and  Fiftieth 
Street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  and  was  on  the  point 
of  refitting  it  throughout  for  his  residence. 
Mr.  Dyemandust  could  not  be  found  last 
night,  and  at  his  hotel  it  was  stated  that  Prince 
Hagen,  who  is  occupying  a  palatial  suite 
there,  was  away  from  the  city.  It  is  believed 
that  he  is  attending,  in  secret,  to  the  invest- 
ment of  his  vast  fortune,  which  he  is  said  to 
have  brought  entire  to  America.  All  efforts 
to  ascertain  the  origin  of  this  nobleman,  or 
to  ascertain  his  right  to  the  title  he  bears,  have 
so  far  proven  entirely  unsuccessful ;  although 
it  is  probable  that,  if  he  expects  to  enter  soci- 
ety in  this  city,  he  will  before  long  make  these 
things  known.  A  person  prominent  in  social 
circles  said  last  evening  to  a  Hurled  re- 
porter," etc.,  etc. 

New  York  Hurled,  December  2Oth. 

"  The  sensational  rumour,  which  caused  so 
much  excitement  about  a  month  ago,  that  the 
old  Dyemandust  mansion  had  been  purchased 
by  Prince  Hagen  has  at  last  been  entirely 
verified.  Both  the  parties  concerned  ad- 


144  PRINCE     HAGEN 

mitted  yesterday,  in  an  interview,  that  such 
a  deal  had  taken  place,  although  they  were 
extremely  reticent  as  to  details.  The  price 
paid,  which  is  said  to  have  been  simply  fabu- 
lous, could  not  be  definitely  ascertained.  Mr. 
Dyemandust  was  seen  at  his  club  by  a  Hurled 
reporter;  it  was  gleaned  from  his  scanty  re- 
plies that  the  mansion  had  not  been  for  sale, 
but  that  Prince  Hagen  had  made  an  offer  so 
munificent  that  the  family  had  yielded. 

"  Prince  Hagen  was  seen  late  last  night  at 
the  Waldorf-Astoria,  and  condescended  to 
grant  an  interview.  He  admitted  that  he  had 
purchased  the  mansion,  but  when  asked  about 
the  price  stated  merely  that  it  was  a  trifle. 

"  '  And  about  the  report  that  the  mansion 
is  to  be  refitted? '  he  was  asked. 

"  '  It  is  true;  everything  will  be  taken  out 
of  it,'  was  the  reply. 

"  '  But  the  house  was  furnished  in  a  most 
sumptuous  fashion  only  a  few  years  ago.' 

"  '  I  am  aware  of  that/  he  answered,  mildly. 

"  i  You  intend,  then,  to  make  it  your  per- 
manent home?'  the  reporter  inquired. 

"  '  Oh,  by  no  means,'  was  Prince  Hagen's 
reply.  '  I  intend  the  house  for  my  occupancy 


PRINCE     HAGEN  145 

merely  while  I  look  about  me  to  select  some 
place  that  suits  me.' 

"  *  You  intend  to  build,  then,  for  yourself?  ' 

"  '  I  do.' 

"  '  Upon  a  larger  scale?  ' 

"  '  Somewhat,'  was  the  smiling  reply,  in  a 
tone  that  betokened  no  great  opinion  of  the 
Dyemandust  palace.  Prince  Hagen  was  ques- 
tioned further  about  this  statement,  but  he 
said  that  he  preferred  not  to  talk  any  more 
about  the  matter  at  present.  '  I  am  an  unos- 
tentatious person  by  nature,'  he  said,  l  and  I 
do  not  care  to  talk  about  what  I  intend  to  do.' 

"  '  Prince  Hagen,'  asked  the  reporter,  '  the 
American  people  are  naturally  curious  to 
know  about  a  person  of  your  prominence. 
Will  you  not  tell  them  what  country  you  are 
from?' 

"  Prince  Hagen's  eye  twinkled,  as  he  an- 
swered :  *  Would  it  not  be  better  to  let  the 
people  find  it  out  for  themselves?  It  seems 
to  amuse  them  so  much.  It  cannot  be  very 
long  before  the  secret  comes  out,  you  know.' 

"  *  Many  efforts  have  been  made  already,' 
suggested  the  reporter.  *  All  have  failed.' 

"  '  It  is  too  bad,'  said  the  prince. 

It  is  your  intention  to  enter  society? ' 


U    I 


146  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  '  Why,'  was  the  smiling  reply,  t  that  is 
not  an  easy  question  to  answer.  How  can  I 
tell  if  society  will  want  me?  I  shall  do  what 
I  can  to  make  myself  agreeable;  I  cannot 
say  more  than  that.' 

" i  You  will  not  make  known  who  you 
are?' 

"  '  Who  I  am?  Why,  I  have  done  that.  I 
am  Prince  Hagen.' 

"  '  And  the  extent  of  your  fortune?  Is  that 
a  secret? ' 

"  *  No,  not  especially.' 

"  '  Would  you  be  so  good  as  to  tell  it? ' 

"  c  I  do  not  know  it.' 

"  '  It  is  very  large?  ' 

"  '  Some  people  might,  perhaps,  think  so.' 

" ( Ten  million  dollars,  perhaps?'  sug- 
gested the  reporter. 

"  '  A  little  more  than  that,'  was  the  reply, 
in  a  manner  to  suggest  that  it  was  very  much 
more  indeed. 

"'  A  hundred  million?' 

"  '  That  may  be  a  trifle  nearer,'  replied  the 
prince,  gravely.  '  You  will  be  able  to  form 
more  definite  ideas,  I  think,  when  a  little 
time  has  passed.' 

"  '  Can  you  give  any  idea  of  how  long  it 


PRINCE     HAGEN  147 

will  take  you  to  refit  the  Dyemandust  man- 
sion?' he  was  next  asked. 

"  '  About  two  months/  was  the  response. 

"  '  How  is  it  possible  to  accomplish  such  a 
task  in  two  months?'  inquired  the  reporter. 

"  '  Everything  is  possible,'  said  the  prince, 
smiling,  '  if  one  does  not  mind  the  incidentals. 
If  I  wished  it  done  in  two  weeks,  it  could  be 
managed.  I  am  preparing  now  to  issue  invi- 
tations for  an  opening  ball,  to  take  place  twTo 
months  from  date,  and  so,  you  see,  there  will 
be  no  possibility  of  delay.' 

"  Here  Prince  Hagen  cut  short  the  inter- 
view, explaining  that  he  had  an  engagement. 
Concerning  his  plans,  no  more  could  be 
learned,  for  he  keeps  his  affairs  well  hidden. 
Up  to  a  late  hour  last  night,  all  efforts  to 
discover  who  were  his  agents  in  the  transac- 
tion, or  where  his  fortune  is  invested,  have 
proved  of  no  avail." 

New  York  Evening  Ghost,  January  Ifth. 

"  From  Newport  comes  a  rumour,  creating 
not  a  little  excitement  in  society,  that  Prince 
Hagen  has  been  secretly  making  vast  pur- 
chases of  real  estate,  and  intends  to  remove 
several  of  Newport's  landmarks  to  build  a 


148  PRINCE     HAGEN 

palatial  mansion,  eclipsing  anything  there 
known.  The  rumour  could  not  as  yet  be  con- 
firmed, but,"  etc.,  etc. 

New  York  Whirled,  February  1st. 

"  Society  was  electrified  yesterday  by  the 
tidings  that  the  old  Dyemandust  mansion, 
which  was  purchased  a  few  weeks  ago  by 
Prince  Hagen,  was  complete  in  its  new  deco- 
rations, and  would  be  shown  to  a  few  friends 
and  to  the  representatives  of  the  press.  This 
last  favour  was  courteously  granted  by  the 
prince  because  of  the  tremendous  public  in- 
terest which  his  purchase  of  the  place,  and 
the  reports  concerning  his  plans  with  it,  have 
awakened.  Prince  Hagen  announced,  when 
the  transaction  took  place,  that  he  meant  to 
refit  entirely  the  palatial  mansion  for  his  own 
use,  and  that  he  would  accomplish  the  task  in 
the  extraordinarily  short  time  of  six  weeks, 
in  time  for  a  grand  opening  ball,  about  which 
rumours  have  meantime  been  busy.  Since 
then,  public  curiosity  has  been  upon  the  qui 
vive,  and  has  daily  been  fed  with  new  items 
of  interest,  etc.,  etc. 

"  It  was  reported  that  vast  contracts  had 
been  made  with  various  firms  for  the  fitting 


PRINCE     HAGEN  149 

up  of  the  home  with  a  splendour  hitherto  un- 
known and  undreamt  of  in  New  York;  that 
all  the  available  resources  of  the  city,  in  the 
way  of  luxury  and  beauty,  were  being  drawn 
upon ;  that  an  army  of  upholsterers  and  deco- 
rators were  at  work  within  the  house ;  that  the 
jewelry-stores  and  art  collections  of  the  city 
were  to  be  ransacked  and  despoiled.  Bit  by 
bit,  the  public  has  learned  the  truth  about 
these  matters,  and  heard  stories  which  were 
more  incredible  still.  The  Hagen  mansion 
was  surrounded  all  day  by  a  curious  crowd, 
and  a  platoon  of  police  had  to  guard  the  door. 
At  night,  mysterious  covered  vans  brought 
loads  of  mysterious  covered  articles,  said  to 
be  treasures  from  Prince  Hagen's  kingdom. 
What  served  still  more  to  inflame  the  curiosity 
of  all  was  the  fact  that  no  one  could  guess 
where  this  mythical  kingdom  was,  —  that  all 
efforts  to  learn  even  how  the  treasures  had 
reached  this  country  had  been  in  vain. 
Throughout  it  all,  Prince  Hagen  kept  si- 
lence, smiling  benignly  upon  curious  inquir- 
ers, and  going  quickly  on  with  his  vast 
preparations. 

"  And   yesterday,    for   the    first   time,   the 
world  was  to  see  this  fairy  palace!     It  was 


150  PRINCE     HAGEN 

small  wonder  that  society  was  wrought  up 
to  a  fever  heat,  and  the  principal  news  in 
all  of  this  morning's  papers  will  be  accounts 
of  the  Hagen  home. 

"  It  is  to  be  said  at  the  outset  that  the  sight 
of  this  extraordinary  mansion  does  not  disap- 
point even  the  most  excited  anticipations; 
that,  on  the  contrary,  the  actuality  so  far  ex- 
ceeds anything  that  any  one  can  have  con- 
ceived, that  the  sight  of  it  leaves  the  beholder 
simply  dumb  with  awe. 

"  The  wonder  of  the  house  may  be  summed 
up  in  one  word,  —  where  it  came  from  no 
man  knows;  perhaps  none  ever  will  know; 
so  much  of  it  one  did  not  believe  to  exist  in 
this  world,  and  surely  never  expected  to  see 
in  his  lifetime ;  but  it  is  gold  —  gold  —  gold! 
The  walls  gleamed  with  it,  the  floor  shone 
with  it,  the  furniture,  vases,  tapestry,  stair- 
ways—  gold,  gold,  gold! 

"  Wherever  Prince  Hagen's  kingdom  may 
be,  it  is  certainly  some  place  that  has  never 
been  visited  by  civilised  man ;  such  unthink- 
able masses  of  gold  exceed  in  reality  the  wild- 
est dreams  of  the  '  Arabian  Nights.'  An 
idea  of  the  whole  magnificent  place  could  be 
given  in  a  few  words,  for  one  has  only  to 


PRINCE     HAGEN  151 

imagine  a  huge  building  furnished  from  roof 
to  cellar  with  the  gleaming  precious  metal, 
and  with  every  other  circumstance  arranged 
for  the  better  display  of  its  glow,  —  the  deep, 
rich  colours  of  velvets  and  silks,  the  blood- 
red  and  snowy  white  of  priceless  marbles,  the 
thousand  hues  of  the  rarest  flowers,  and  the 
dazzling  gleam  of  countless  masses  of  gems. 

"  The  most  extraordinary  feature  of  the 
whole  mansion,  the  one  which  meets  the  at- 
tention everywhere  and  strikes  the  beholder 
with  wonder,  is  the  seemingly  limitless  num- 
ber of  carved  and  beaten  vessels  of  gold  which 
the  prince  possesses;  it  seems  certain  these 
objects  cannot  have  been  bought  in  New 
York.  Prince  Hagen  has  such  quantities  of 
them  that  he  seems  scarcely  to  know  what  to 
do  with  them  all.  They  line  the  walls  and 
they  cover  the  tables  and  mantels;  one  might 
weary  of  the  sight  were  it  not  for  the  fact 
of  their  wonderful  designs,  and  for  the  in- 
finite skill  and  beauty  of  their  workmanship, 
which  makes  of  them  a  source  of  endless  ad- 
miration and  delight. 

"  The  very  first  glimpse  of  the  interior  of 
the  mansion  strikes  the  beholder  dumb;  for 
once  past  the  iron  gates  and  the  great  folding 


152  PRINCE     HAGEN 

doors,  a  hallway  strikes  the  eye  beyond  any 
description  in  its  riotous  splendour;  here  are 
marbles  and  gems  and  pictures  which  would 
take  hours  to  describe;  but  above  all  and 
beyond  all,  the  masses  of  gold — golden  chairs 
and  balustrades  and  mantels,  and  huge  ves- 
sels of  the  solid  metal.  The  whole  ceiling 
of  this  room  is  a  mass  of  electric  lights,  and 
the  effect  at  night  must  be  simply  gorgeous. 
At  the  head  of  the  broad  stairways  of  the 
palace  —  one  can  call  it  nothing  else  —  stands 
a  huge  vase  of  solid  gold,  fully  ten  feet  high, 
and  of  weight  and  value  quite  inconceivable. 
Prince  Hagen  referred  to  this  as  '  the  Coro- 
nation Cup,'  an  heirloom  by  a  famous  gold- 
smith of  centuries  ago.  He  vouchsafed,  how- 
ever, no  further  information,  but  stood  by 
with  a  calm  smile,  while  those  present  gazed 
in  consternation  at  the  priceless  treasure. 

"  Afterward,  Prince  Hagen  escorted  the 
party,  which  consisted  of  about  a  score  of 
guests,  besides  the  Whirled  reporter,  through 
the  entire  building,  revealing  wonder  after 
wonder  with  princely  unconcern.  The  entire 
first  floor  is  in  preparation  to  be  opened  as  a 
ballroom  and  parlours  on  the  night  of  his 
grand  entertainment;  the  apartments  on  the 


PRINCE     HAGEN  153 

second  floor  have  been  prepared  to  serve  as 
reception  and  supper-rooms.  Prince  Hagen 
would  give  no  information  about  the  coming 
ball  at  present." 

New  York  Chimes.  "All  the  News  that  the 
People  Want  to  Read."  February  $d.  So- 
ciety Notes. 

"  Season  under  full  headway.  Until  Ash 
Wednesday  the  round  of  dinners  and  dances 
will  be  incessant. 

"  Society  is  at  the  moment  completely  occu- 
pied with  the  grand  costume-ball  which  is  to 
take  place  at  the  palatial  mansion  of  Prince 
Hagen  on  the  night  of  February  roth.  With 
the  aid  of  his  numerous  friends,  it  is  expected 
that  it  will  be  made  one  of  those  magnificent 
entertainments  which  occur  but  seldom  in  a 
lifetime.  To  organise  a  fete  such  as  this  is 
a  difficult  matter,  but  Prince  Hagen  antici- 
pates no  defeat.  This  is  not  to  be  a  fancy- 
dress  ball,  as  the  host  desires  expressly  that 
the  costumes  should  be  only  such  as  were  worn 
in  the  sixteenth,  seventeenth,  and  eighteenth 
centuries.  Water-sprites,  gipsies,  Cinderellas, 
Queens-of-the-night,  and  strolling  minstrels 
will  be  out  of  order.  The  conventional  dress 


154  PRINCE     HAGEN 

suit  will  not  be  welcome.  The  men  must  also 
wear  court  costumes  of  the  period. 

"  Invitations  for  this  splendid  fete  were 
issued  yesterday;  the  best  society  will  attend 
in  a  body,  it  is  said.  Many  people  wonder 
at  Prince  Hagen's  audacity  in  beginning  his 
attempt  to  scale  the  social  ladder  with  so  elab- 
orate an  affair;  for  if  society  failed  to  respond 
to  his  invitation,  his  position  would  indeed 
be  desperate. 

"  But  Prince  Hagen  probably  has  reasons 
of  his  own  for  feeling  safe;  he  must  have 
been  sufficiently  assured  that  his  entree  would 
not  be  opposed.  Perhaps,  too,  he  counts  upon 
the  eclat  which  recent  reports  concerning  his 
newly  fitted  palace  have  given  him;  truly, 
it  is  difficult  to  imagine  society  rejecting  so 
magnificent  an  entertainment.  From  all  ac- 
counts, Prince  Hagen's  mansion  must  be  sim- 
ply dazzling  in  its  splendour;  and  it  is 
whispered  that  the  sums  he  is  expending  upon 
the  coming  fete  are  unthinkable. 

"  Costumes  for  the  ball  have  doubtless  been 
ordered  in  advance  from  Paris  by  most  of 
our  prominent  society  people.  The  time  is 
shorter  than  is  usually  allowed  for  such  elab- 
orate entertainments.  Nothing  quite  of  this 


PRINCE     HAGEN  155 

sort  has  been  done  in  the  metropolis  for  a 
decade.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  it  will  have  a 
place  in  history. 

"  Few  of  the  details  have  been  announced 
as  yet,  but  the  apartments  will  be  decorated 
with  rare  tapestries,  and  the  lavish  splendour 
of  the  host  may  be  relied  upon  to  present  a 
gorgeous  scene.  Costumers  and  perruquiers 
will  be  on  hand  to  arrange  the  costumes  and 
wigs  of  the  arriving  guests.  All  the  attend- 
ants will  wear  the  livery  of  Louis  Quinze. 
The  mansion  will  be  a  very  palace  of  olden 
time." 

New  York  Hurled,  February  Ilth. 
"THE    HAGEN    MANSION. 

HOW  THE  BALLROOM  AND  OTHER  APARTMENTS 
APPEARED. 

"  The  entrance  was  of  the  Chateau  de  Viau, 
although  Louis  le  Grand  was  missing,  and 
Americans  of  the  twentieth  century  made  up 
the  courtiers.  Gobelin  covered  the  walls. 
Those  spaces  which  the  ancient  tapestries  did 
not  warm  with  colour  were  alight  with  golden 
panels  or  with  mirrors,  and  over  their  surface 
hung  the  rarest  of  orchids.  Blossoms  of 


156  PRINCE     HA  GEN 

waxen  bridal  roses,  mixed  with  the  roses  of 
la  France,  were  tangled  with  great  festoons 
of  American  Beauties.  Thus  the  rooms  dis- 
closed themselves  to  the  guests  upon  their  first 
entrance.  The  wonderful  golden  vases  stood 
on  either  side  of  the  broad  passage,  and  the 
guests  proceeded  between  heavy  curtains  of 
gold  and  crimson  satin  to  the  hallway,  which 
led  to  the  dressing-room  by  a  great  winding 
staircase.  Between  the  vases  were  clustered 
electric  lights,  the  glow  from  them  being  par- 
tially dimmed  by  the  varnished  leaves  of  the 
Virginia  creeper.  Nodding  American  Beauty 
roses,  entwined  with  clematis,  set  off  the  red 
velvet  balustrade.  In  the  centre  of  the  salon 
Prince  Hagen  awaited  his  guests,  the  maskers 
passing  between  most  elaborate  decorations  of 
flowers.  The  fragrance  of  the  roses  was 
nearly  overpowering,  added  to  the  growing 
warmth  of  the  room.  From  one  of  the  land- 
ings of  the  stairway  the  guests  had  glimpses 
of  the  ballroom. 


"  A  GORGEOUS  DISPLAY  OF  GOLD. 


"  Everywhere  the  brilliance  of  gold  daz- 
zled the  eye.     The  marvellous  vases  shone, 


PRINCE     HAGEN  157 

half-concealed  by  Antoinette  wreaths  of  la 
France  roses;  also  everywhere  were  great 
bunches  of  bridal  roses,  with  a  background 
of  the  dark-green  Virginia  creeper.  Further 
points  in  the  colour  scheme  were  the  white 
and  gold  of  the  mural  decoration,  and  of  the 
furniture  of  the  Grand  Monarque.  From  the 
salon  opened  an  immense  apartment  —  the 
ballroom,  elegant  in  its  proportions  and  won- 
drous in  its  decorations  of  gold.  Priceless 
works  of  art  in  the  precious  metal  lined  the 
broad  balcony  which  looks  down  upon  the 
floor.  The  effect  of  the  golden  mirrors  was 
made  doubly  potent  by  the  screens  of  Vir- 
ginia creeper,  and  of  purple  orchids,  which 
seemed  scarcely  out  of  place  in  the  tropical 
atmosphere.  Great  wreaths  of  la  France 
roses  decorated  the  mirrors,  arranged  under- 
neath the  clusters  of  electric  lights.  The  cen- 
tre of  the  floor  was  arranged  for  the  quadrille 
d'honneur,  its  dividing  lines  being  broad  silk 
ribbons. 

"  OPENING  OF  THE  BALL. 

"  After  Prince  Hagen  had  welcomed  the 
guests,  the  quadrille  d'honneur  was  danced, 
Prince  Hagen  being  at  the  head,  his  partner 


158  P  R  I  N  C  E     H  A  G  E  N 

being  Mrs.  Miner-Gold.  Prince  Hagen's 
costume  was  almost  too  magnificent  for  de- 
scription, being  trimmed  with  precious  stones 
of  inconceivable  splendour  and  size.  It  was 
a  Louis  Quatorze  robe  of  state,  of  purple  vel- 
vet, the  corselet  being  entirely  of  gold,  woven 
as  chain-armour,  and  embroidered  with  a 
wreath  made  of  enormous  diamonds. 

"  Mrs.  Miner-Gold  wore  the  same  costume 
she  had  made  for  the  famous  Dyemandust 
dress  ball  of  1863;  it  was  a  Marie  Stuart 
robe  of  red  velvet,  the  black  brocade  collar 
being  covered  with  magnificent  lace  valued 
at  $15,000  a  square  inch.  Her  jewels  were 
diamonds,  the  stomacher,  necklace,  and  head 
ornaments  being  entirely  of  these  jewels. 

"  The  ball  was  not  formally  opened  until 
all  the  guests  had  been  announced,  and  had 
paid  their  respects  to  the  host;  then  Prince 
Hagen  left  his  position  and  joined  the  par- 
ticipants of  the  three  opening  quadrilles,  who 
awaited  him.  The  quadrilles  were  danced  as 
follows,"  etc.,  etc.,  for  two  pages  of  the  paper. 


New  York  Hurled,  February 

"  Prince   Hagen's  costume  ball   is  now  a 
thing  of  the  past.     It  will  live  in  history  as 


PRINCE     HAGEN  159 

one  of  the  most  magnificent  entertainments 
which  has  ever  been  given  in  this  metropolis. 
"This  result  was  obtained  not  merely  by 
an  enormous  outlay  of  money;  it  was  due 
more  especially  to  a  fastidious  regard  for 
every  smallest  detail,  and  to  the  exquisite 
taste  of  the  host  —  things  yet  more  essential 
to  a  really  grand  entertainment.  A  happy  in- 
spiration it  proved  —  that  of  limiting  the 
costumes  to  the  most  lavish  period  of  history; 
to  this  was  due  the  stateliness  of  the  affair. 
Society  has  dreamed  about  and  talked  about 
nothing  for  weeks  but  this  fete.  Every  ex- 
pectation having  now  been  realised  and  every 
hope  gratified,  the  ball  will  for  ever  be  treas- 
ured in  the  memory  of  New  York's  elite." 

New  York  Whirled,  February  1 7th. 

"  Evidently  it  is  Prince  Hagen's  intention 
to  capture  metropolitan  society  by  storm. 
Not  content  with  last  week's  magnificent  ball, 
which  completely  stunned  society  by  its  splen- 
dour, comes  the  announcement  of  a  grand 
bal  masque,  which  is  to  be  given  very  shortly, 
and  which  is  to  eclipse  the  former  achieve- 
ment in  elaborateness  and  expense.  Appar- 
ently society  does  not  know  just  what  to  make 


160  PRINCE     HAGEN 

of  this  deluge  of  regal  entertainments.  If 
Prince  Hagen  continues  to  bombard  the  elite 
all  winter  in  such  fashion,  he  will  end  by 
drowning  out  all  competition  and  in  becoming 
official  host  to  the  city." 

Town  Staples,  February  IQth. 

"  Hagen,  Hagen,  Hagen!  There  is  no  one 
in  the  world  but  Hagen!  One  hears  so  much 
about  him  that  one  would  weary  of  it  beyond 
utterance,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  Hagen 
is  the  most  entertaining  person  in  the  world. 
One  hears  about  Hagen  all  day  at  the  clubs ; 
they  talk  about  Hagen  instead  of  listening  to 
the  opera ;  they  forget  to  eat  their  dinners  for 
talking  about  Hagen.  Here  is  one  of  the 
latest  good  things  that  everybody  is  telling. 

"  Prince  Hagen  recently  strolled  in  about 
luncheon  hour  to  one  of  the  restaurants  much 
frequented  by  the  best  society. 

"  After  eating,  he  ordered  a  peach.  Great 
consternation  among  the  authorities!  No 
peaches  in  the  house;  no  peaches  in  the  city! 
The  head  waiter  tries  to  explain;  Hagen 
looks  at  him  in  wonder,  and  merely  says,  '  I 
ordered  a  peach,'  and  goes  on  reading  a 
paper,  —  reading  about  himself,  by  the  way. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  161 

Thereafter  beaucoup  de  recherche,  and,  at 
last,  a  peach.  Then  the  bill  comes ;  the  cost  of 
that  peach  is  five  dollars;  and  Hagen  smiles. 

"  '  Is  there  only  one  peach  in  New  York? ' 
he  asks. 

"  '  No/  replies  the  waiter,  mildly.  '  But 
there  is  only  one  Prince  Hagen.' 

"  And  thereafter  he  orders  a  peach  every 
day." 

New  York  Hurled,  February  2Oth. 

"  An  interesting  vessel  was  sighted  off  the 
Hook  at  seven  o'clock  yesterday  morning. 
A  few  weeks  ago,  there  appeared  in  this 
paper  an  exclusive  account  of  the  purchase, 
by  the  brilliant  society  leader,  Prince  Hagen, 
of  a  pair  of  Arabian  horses  at  a  fabulous 
price;  these  steeds  were  said  to  have  a  pedi- 
gree of  centuries,  the  entire  line  having  been 
the  property  of  the  royal  stables  of  the  Shah 
of  Persia.  It  was  reported  that  Prince  Hagen 
had  bought  them  for  an  unimaginable  sum, 
having  in  fact  offered  for  them  any  price  that 
might  be  asked.  Immediately  afterward,  it 
was  reported  that  he  had  purchased  a  yacht 
for  the  express  purpose  of  bringing  these  won- 
derful creatures  to  New  York.  The  vessel's 


162  PRINCE     HAGEN 

arrival  was  reported  yesterday,  and  the  an- 
nouncement was  made  that  the  horses  were 
well.  Prince  Hagen,  when  seen  by  a  Hurled 
reporter,  said  as  follows,"  etc.,  etc. 

"  A  Hurled  reporter  secured  exclusive  per- 
mission to  board  the  yacht,  which  is  a  large 
vessel,  and  inspect  the  pair  of  steeds.  They 
are  magnificent  animals,  chestnut  in  colour, 
and  with  manes  of  a  wondrous  silky  gloss. 
It  is  Prince  Hagen's  intention  to  drive  them 
himself,  and  his  appearance  will  certainly 
create  a  sensation,  public  curiosity  having 
been  roused  to  an  intense  pitch  by  the  news. 
With  the  horses  came  a  native  Persian  keeper 
with  several  assistants.  In  an  interview,  the 
former  gave  the  reporter  the  history  of  the 
steeds,"  etc.,  etc. 

New  York  Chinaman,  February  22d. 
"SAVED    FROM    STARVATION! 

A  FAMILY,  EVICTED  IN  SNOW,  RESCUED  BY 
BENEFACTOR.  NAME  OF  RICH  MAN  A  SE- 
CRET. HUSBAND  DEAD,  CHILDREN  DYING. 
HELPLESS  MRS.  MURPHY  SAVED  AT  LAST. 

"  From  the  crowded  tenements  of  Mul- 
berry Street  comes  a  story  so  full  of  romance 


PRINCE     HAGEN  163 

that  it  reads  like  a  fairy-tale,  a  story  of  a 
ghastly  struggle  against  poverty,  of  accident, 
disease,  and  death;  of  cruel  execution  of 
heartless  laws;  of  a  family  of  five  half-naked 
children  and  a  bedridden  mother  turned  out 
into  the  bitter  January  night;  of  the  chance 
passing  of  a  man  of  fortune;  of  pity  and 
princely  generosity;  and  then  comfort  and 
happiness  for  the  wretched  family. 

"  Mrs.  John  Murphy  is  the  wife  of  a  poor 
but  honest  labourer  living  at  927^  Mulberry 
Street;  they  have,  or  rather  had,  seven  small 
children.  Last  fall  Murphy  was  injured  by  a 
premature  blast's  exploding,  from  the  effects 
of  which  he  subsequently  died.  Then  fol- 
lows a  pitiful  story  of  a  helpless  struggle 
against  penury,  etc.,  etc.  .  .  .  Last  week  two 
of  the  children  died  from  this  disease,  and 
Mrs.  Murphy  herself,  etc.  .  .  .  They  were 
then  living  in  a  wretched  garret  at  the  address 
mentioned.  The  children  were  almost  with- 
out clothing,  and  had  been  without  fire 
throughout  all  the  dreadful  severity,  etc.  .  .  . 

"  Then  comes  the  most  revolting  incident 
of  this  story.  The  landlord  of  this  wretched 
tenement  called,  insisting,  etc.,  etc.  .  .  .  The 
wretched  family  turned  out  into  the  snow  by 


1 64  PRINCE     HAGEN 

the  relentless  hand  of  the  law,  etc.,  etc.  At 
this  moment  comes  the  angel  of  rescue,  etc. 
...  a  carriage  rolling  past,  the  owner  looked 
out,  and  descended,  etc.  The  unfortunate 
family,  almost  hysterical  with  gratitude,  etc., 
etc.  Wrote  a  few  words  —  astonished  woman 
-  check  for  a  thousand  dollars  —  benefactor 
vanished  —  thanksgiving,  tears,  etc.,  etc. 

"  Late  in  the  evening  the  mother  was  found 
by  a  reporter  for  the  Chinaman,  surrounded 
by  a  host  of  eager  friends,  and  receiving  their 
congratulations  upon  her  wonderful  good  for- 
tune. Then  came  the  most  interesting  devel- 
opment of  all;  for  though  Mrs.  Murphy,  in 
an  interview,  gave  volubly  all  the  particulars 
of  the  story  told  above,  she  refused  steadfastly 
to  tell  the  name  of  her  benefactor,  or  even  to 
describe  him,  giving  as  her  reason  that  he  had 
extracted  from  her  a  solemn  promise  to  keep 
the  matter  a  secret. 

"  No  argument  could  shake  Mrs.  Murphy's 
determined  resolution  to  respect  this  request, 
and  it  is  probable,  therefore,  that  the  name  of 
this  noble-hearted  man  may  never  be  known," 
etc.,  etc.,  etc. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  165 

Ne<w  York  Evening  Journey,  February  22d. 

"  Unexpected  light  has  been  thrown  upon 
the  dramatic  incident  reported  in  this  morn- 
ing's paper,  of  the  gift,  by  some  rich  man,  of 
a  thousand  dollars  to  a  family  of  starving 
tenement-house  unfortunates.  The  name  of 
the  unknown  benefactor,  who  so  nobly  strove 
to  keep  himself  unknown,  has  been  discov- 
ered, and,  as  usual,  it  is  the  enterprise  of  the 
Journey  which  has  obtained  for  the  public 
this  interesting  bit  of  information.  The  Jour- 
ney reporters  bent  all  their  faculties  to  the 
work  of  probing  the  mystery,  and,  after  sev- 
eral hours'  work,  they  have  at  last  succeeded 
triumphantly;  the  news,  of  course,  appears 
exclusively  in  this  paper. 

"The  means  employed  were  very  simple. 
Mrs.  John  Murphy,  who  was  the  recipient 
of  the  handsome  present,  still  refusing  to  make 
known  the  identity  of  her  benefactor,  and 
none  of  the  witnesses  of  the  incident  being 
able  to  do  so,  a  Journey  reporter  casually 
threw  out  a  hint  that  the  check  might  not  be 
good,  and  then,  after  leaving,  set  to  work  to 
watch  the  house.  It  was  only  a  few  minutes 


166  PRINCE     HAGEN 

more  before  Mrs.  Murphy  came  out  in  great 
haste. 

"  The  reporter  followed  her,  and,  at  the 
first  store  where  she  attempted  to  cash  the 
check,  he  succeeded  afterward  in  discovering 
what  he  sought.  The  announcement  of  the 
name  of  the  rich  man  is  quite  certain  to  cre- 
ate a  sensation  in  circles  high  and  low.  It 
is  none  other  than  the  former  Tammany  in- 
vestigator and  present  social  phenomenon, 
Prince  Hagen,"  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

New  York  Evening  Journey,  February  22d 
(6  O'Clock  Edition.) 

"  Prince  Hagen,  in  an  interview  with  a 
Journey  reporter,  at  his  magnificent  mansion 
on  Fifth  Avenue,  said  as  follows: 

"  *  It  is  true  that  I  gave  poor  Mrs.  Murphy 
a  check  last  night,  but  the  incident  is  not 
worthy  of  all  the  attention  it  appears  to  be 
exciting.  I  did  no  more  than  any  one  would 
have  done  under  the  circumstances.  Natu- 
rally, being  a  man  of  means,  I  felt  it  my  duty 
to  do  with  it  what  good  occasion  affords  me. 
I  wish  that  the  papers  would  stop  talking 
about  it.  Of  course,  however,  I  duly  appre- 
ciate the  energy  of  the  Journey,  which  I 


PRINCE     HAGEN  167 

always  read,  as  I  consider  it  by  far  the  live- 
liest newspaper  published  in  New  York/  ' 
etc.,  etc. 


New  York  Moon,  February 
("  If  you  see  it  in  the  moon,  it's  there.") 

"  He  was  compelled  to  submit  to  not  a  little 
slanderous  abuse  at  the  hands  of  those  sedi- 
tious persons  who  were  trying  to  put  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  country  into  the  hands  of  the 
party  of  dissatisfaction  and  dishonesty,  and 
who  accused  him  freely  of  being  himself  a 
monopolist,  and  interested  but  in  the  preserv- 
ing of  his  own  money.  Than  such  an  incident 
as  this  nothing  could  be  more  welcome,  show- 
ing, as  it  does,  the  real  character  of  the  man, 
and  indicating  what  truth  there  is  in  the 
balderdash  about  the  heartlessness  of  the  mon- 
eyed classes.  Matters  such  as  these  are  con- 
veniently forgotten  by  the  demagogic  agitator. 
Doubtless  nothing  was  further  from  Prince 
Hagen's  intentions,  but  such  an  incident  ought 
to  go  far  toward  bringing  him  the  respect 
of  the  American  people,"  etc.,  etc. 


i68  PRINCE     HAGEN 


Town  Slopics,  March 

"  He  cannot  have  meant  it  so,  but  certainly 
the  rescuing  of  Mrs.  John  Murphy,  927^ 
Mulberry  Street,  was  an  inspiration. 

"  New  York  society  has  been  talking  about 
nothing  else  for  a  week,  not  without  some 
laughter,  but  still  with  due  appreciation  of 
the  picturesque  and  the  sublime.  There  was 
a  large  clique  of  people  who  hated  Prince 
Hagen  heartily,  accusing  him  of  vulgar  and 
plebeian  ostentation;  now  he  has  become  a 
hero,  and  the  mouths  of  all  detractors  are 
stopped;  and  all  because  he  gave  Mrs.  Mur- 
phy a  thousand  dollars  —  and  gave  it  in  a 
check!  Since  the  days  of  Haroun  al  Raschid 
and  of  Eugene  Sue,  the  world  has  pined  for  a 
prince  to  go  about  in  disguise,  and  relieve 
misfortune  with  draughts  on  his  bank  ac- 
count; and  now,  we  in  New  York  have 
one,  and  all  our  own!  Certainly,  we  must 
take  him  to  our  hearts;  and  let  no  one  for 
ever  more  dare  ask  if  he  be  not  an  ex-pirate 
or  an  alchemist." 

New  York  Evening  Telephone,  March  6th. 

"  Prince  Hagen  gave  a  dinner  last  night 
to  a  few  select  guests  at  his  palatial  mansion 


PRINCE     HAGEN  169 

on  Fifth  Avenue.  The  event  was  one  of  con- 
siderable importance,  for  it  marks  a  new  step 
in  the  meteoric  career  of  this  foreign  noble- 
man; the  guests  invited  were  the  very  cream 
of  New  York  society,  and  to  have  assembled 
them  would  have  been  a  triumph  for  any  one. 
The  list  of  those  present  is  as  follows,  etc. 

"  The  Hagen  mansion  was  decorated  with 
its  usual  splendour;  the  halls  and  stairways 
were  banked  with  countless  masses  of  rare 
orchids,  to  obtain  which  Prince  Hagen  is  said 
to  have  exhausted  the  supply  of  the  Eastern 
States;  at  the  close  of  the  festivities,  they 
were  found  plucked  and  strewn  in  an  endless 
carpeting  of  colour  beneath  the  feet  of  the 
departing  guests. 

"  The  huge  carven  vessels  of  gold,  which 
have  attracted  such  universal  admiration, 
gleamed  as  usual  beneath  the  dazzling  illu- 
mination, etc.,  etc.  The  banquet-hall  was 
musical  with  the  play  of  countless  fountains 
and  the  strains  of  soft  music  from  a  distant 
orchestra.  The  banquet  was  the  most  magnif- 
icent that  society  may  ever  witness,  except 
the  princely  prodigal  should  himself  elect 
to  surpass  it. 

"  The  menu  was  as  follows,  etc.,  etc. 


170  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  After  this  dinner,  which  was  concluded 
long  after  midnight,  the  guests  were  con- 
ducted to  a  concert-room,  where  a  musical 
programme  was  superbly  rendered.  The 
decorations  of  this  concert-room  exceeded 
anything  that  pen  can  describe,  etc.,  etc. 

"  The  orchestra  was  a  large  one,  but  was 
composed  of  the  best-known  performers  in 
this  country,  and  under  the  command  of  the 
celebrated  Herr  Windenschlager.  The  solo- 
ists were  none  other  than  Madame  Paganini 
and  Signor  Paddi,  of  the  Blau  Opera  Com- 
pany; the  appearance  of  the  former  was  cause 
for  universal  astonishment,  she  having  never 
accepted  a  private  engagement  before.  It 
was  whispered  that  she  had  received  the 
fabulous  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  this 
occasion.  The  programme  was  as  follows, 
etc.,  etc. 

"  This  varied  and  highly  interesting  pro- 
gramme was  listened  to  with  rapt  attention  by 
the  assembled  guests,  and  was  rendered  with 
rare  excellence  by  all  the  performers.  The 
orchestra,  under  Herr  Windenschlager,  cov- 
ered itself  with  glory;  the  players  had  evi- 
dently rehearsed  with  extraordinary  care, 
and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  this  concert 


PRINCE     HAGEN  171 

will  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  musical 
events  of  the  season,  an  event  as  notable  in 
music  as  was  the  entertainment  in  social  life. 
The  movement  from  the  Beethoven  Sym- 
phony was  given  a  masterly  interpretation; 
but  beyond  any  doubt  the  chef-d'tzuvre  of  the 
evening  was  the  Strauss  waltz,  which  was 
played  with  splendid  spirit  and  vigour.  The 
audience  applauded  enthusiastically,  and 
Herr  Windenschlager  gave  as  an  encore  the 
wonderful  Largo  of  Handel.  In  the  selec- 
tion from  the  Stabat  Mater,  Madame  Paga- 
nini  found  the  best  opportunity  for  displaying 
her  gorgeous  voice.  Signor  Paddi  showed  all 
of  the  wonderful  vocal  skill  which  has  made 
him  so  famous.  As  encore,  he  sang,  with 
trembling  pathos,  i  A  Prayer,'  by  Rienzi. 
Madame  Paganini  sang  also  Samuel  John- 
son's '  Drink  to  me  solely  with  thine  eyes,' 
and  an  aria  from  '  Der  Freischiitz,'  i  Liza, 
Liza,  Fromme  Weise.' 

"  After  the  concert,  a  supper  was  served, 
the  menu  being  as  follows,"  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

It  was  not  so  very  long  after  this  last  event 
that  I  chanced  to  be  walking  up  Fifth  Ave- 
nue, and  to  pass  the  mansion  of  Prince  Hagen. 


172  PRINCE     HAGEN 

I  am  not  a  society  person  —  never  went  to  a 
ball  or  a  dinner  in  my  life  —  and  I  had  recon- 
ciled myself  to  the  thought  of  following  the 
career  of  my  friend  from  the  distance.  I  was 
thinking  of  this  when  I  chanced  suddenly  to 
notice  his  magnificent  equipage,  with  the 
Persian  horses  and  two  unimaginably  stately 
footmen.  I  assumed  that  he  was  going  for  a 
drive;  and  sure  enough,  just  as  I  passed  the 
gate,  he  came  out.  He  saw  me  instantly,  and 
called  to  me. 

"  My  Idealist!  "  he  exclaimed,  catching  me 
by  the  hand.  "  Why  have  I  not  seen  you?  " 

"  I  feared  you  were  too  busy,"  I  said,  hes- 
itatingly, "  and  too  - 

"  Oh,  I  understand,"  laughed  Hagen;  "  but 
there  never  was  a  man  with  less  of  the  pride 
of  wealth  than  I.  Come,  take  a  drive  with 
me.  I  was  going  into  the  park,  and  I'm  all 
alone." 

After  a  little  hesitation  I  consented.  I  own 
that  I  was  curious  to  hear  more  about  him. 
We  sprang  into  the  carriage,  which  by  this 
time  had  become  the  object  of  admiration  of 
a  small  assemblage;  it  rattled  off  up  the 
avenue,  the  horses  making  a  magnificent 


PRINCE     HAGEN  173 

show,  and  Prince  Hagen  bowing  to  all  the 
notabilities,  and  telling  me  their  names. 

"  You  would  feel  very  much  honoured,"  he 
said,  laughing,  "  if  you  were  not  an  Idealist. 
Do  you  know  that,  if  the  papers  noted  the 
fact  that  you  were  driving  with  me,  you  would 
become  a  literary  celebrity  in  an  hour?  " 

"  Fortunately  no  one  knows  me,"  I  said, 
"  so  pray  keep  the  secret."  And  Prince  Ha- 
gen laughed.  I  heard  him  still  chuckling  the 
word  "  Idealist "  to  himself  occasionally,  and 
seeming  to  derive  from  it  a  great  deal  of 
amusement. 

"We  must  exchange  ideas  again  on  the 
great  questions  of  life,"  he  said,  after  a  time, 
looking  at  me  quizzically.  "  There  is  quite 
a  deal  of  new  data  to  consider." 

"  There  is  one  thing  I  have  noticed,  at  any 
rate,"  responded  I,  "  the  test  of  society  that 
you  once  proposed  to  me  you  can  no  longer 
claim  you  are  making.  You  said  that  every 
one  should  know  what  you  thought;  but  now 
you  make  pretences.  You  must  know  that 
you  do." 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  reflectively,  "  I  know  it. 
Did  you  ever  know  any  one  to  make  them 
better?" 


174  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  I  don't  believe  I  ever  did,"  I  said;  "  but 
why  is  it?  " 

"  I  do  it,"  he  answered,  "  because  pretences 
are  the  one  thing  I  have  learned  from  society, 
-  the  one  lesson  in  the  art  of  life  I  found  I 
had  yet  to  learn." 

"  I  am  glad  your  visit  profited  you  some- 
thing," I  said,  gravely. 

"  It  profited  me  that,"  said  Hagen,  "  for  I 
tell  you,  pretences  are  an  invention  so  sublime 
that,  when  I  think  of  what  society  does  with 
them,  I  am  simply  dumb  with  awe." 

"How  do  you  mean?"  I  asked,  with  in- 
terest. 

Prince  Hagen  was  thoughtful  for  a  mo- 
ment. "  You  know,"  he  said,  "  when  I  first 
met  you,  your  talk  about  virtue  was  a  thing 
absolutely  incomprehensible  to  me;  it  seemed 
something  quite  apart  from  life,  a  fantastic 
creation  of  your  own  mind;  but  now  that  I 
have  come  to  understand  it,  I  have  a  deep 
respect  for  it,  a  deeper  one  than  I  can  tell 
you.  These  pretences  of  mine  you  speak  of 
are  not  hypocrisy  at  all;  I  believe  in  them; 
I  have  come  to  see  that  it  is  they  alone  which 
make  possible  the  system  in  which  we  live." 

"  Explain  yourself,"  I  said. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  175 

"  In  the  first  place,"  said  he,  "  I  found  this 
civilisation  of  yours  simply  appalling  in  its 
vastness.  When  I  first  saw  the  countless  mil- 
lions of  your  people,  the  unthinkable  masses 
of  wealth  you  had  piled  up,  the  cities  you  had 
built,  it  seemed  to  me  almost  a  madness  — 
it  seemed  to  me  a  huge  bubble  that  must  burst; 
when  I  perceived  that  it  was  real,  that  its 
values  were  not  mere  fancies,  but  stakes  for 
which  a  man  might  play,  I  tell  you  I  was 
drunk  with  it.  You  will,  therefore,  under- 
stand my  interest  in  finding  out  how  it  was 
done,  and  my  respect  for  the  means  when  I 
discovered  them." 

"And  they  are?"  I  said,  inquiringly. 

"  The  means,"  he  answered,  "  are  pre- 
tences." 

He  paused;  I  waited  in  silence  until  he 
chose  to  continue. 

"  For  instance,"  he  began,  suddenly,  "  look 
at  Nibelheim.  They  have  down  there  what 
they  call  a  society,  but  it  is  like  a  society  of 
wild  animals.  No  man  dares  expose  his 
wealth,  no  man  dares  enjoy  it;  all  his  forces 
are  spent  in  guarding  it  in  terror.  And  every 
half-century  some  poor  devil  gets  old  and 
weak,  and  they  fall  upon  him  and  divide  the 


176  PRINCE     HAGEN 

spoil.  They  live  like  rabbits  in  a  burrow; 
there  is  no  splendour,  no  beauty,  no  educa- 
tion in  their  lives.  And  all  that  is  because 
they  have  no  morality,  because  brute  force  is 
the  law  of  their  being." 

That  sounded  like  a  discourse  of  my  own; 
I  was  perplexed.  "  And  pray,"  I  asked,  "  are 
you  going  to  reform  the  Nibelungs?  " 

"  One  of  the  first  of  my  plans  that  I  hope 
to  carry  out,"  he  answered,  gravely,  "  is  the 
introducing  of  Christianity  into  Nibelheim. 
I  could  never  live  there  happily  until  the 
people  were  made  moral." 

I  started. 

"  Life,"  said  Prince  Hagen,  "  is  the  sur- 
vival of  the  strong.  I  care  not  if  it  be  in  a 
jungle,  or  in  a  city,  it  is  a  warfare  of  each 
against  all ;  but  in  the  former  case  the  means 
is  brute  force,  and  in  the  latter  it  is  power  of 
mind.  And  do  you  not  see  that  the  ingenious 
device  which  brings  this  about,  which  makes 
possible  cities  and  railroads  and  books  and 
beauty,  the  force  which  makes  the  savage 
animal  a  docile  slave  of  the  man  who  can  out- 
wit him,  is  this  Morality,  —  this  absolutely 
sublimest  invention,  —  this  most  daring  con- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  177 

ception  that  ever  flashed  across  the  mind  of 
man?" 

"  Oh !  "  I  said,  taking  a  long  breath. 

"  Just  think  of  it,"  went  on  Prince  Hagen, 
"  just  see  it,  this  society  of  yours!  There  are 
in  this  city,  I  suppose,  one  thousand  rich  men, 
and  one  million  poor  men,  whose  business  it 
is  to  do  what  the  rich  command.  And  the 
rich  men  live  in  these  palaces  you  see  about 
you,  and  absolutely  everything  in  the  world 
they  want  they  have ;  and  for  your  poor  you 
build  great  stacks  of  boxes,  each  big  enough 
to  hold  his  body,  and  admitting  air  enough 
to  keep  him  alive.  Because  these  wretches 
are  hideous  and  filthy,  you  crowd  them  away 
from  your  sight  into  quarters  where  they 
swarm  like  vermin  in  a  carcass,  and  there 
you  let  them  feed  upon  what  garbage  they 
can  pick  up,  until  they  die  and  rot  in  the 
ground.  And  the  number  of  those  creatures 
is  a  thousand  to  your  one,  and  the  best  that  is 
might  be  theirs  if  they  would  take  it;  but 
there  is  Morality!  And  the  poorest  of  them 
would  starve  and  die  in  his  tracks  before  he 
would  touch  a  bit  of  bread  that  was  not  his 
own,  and  he  struts  about  and  boasts  of  it, 
and  calls  it  his  '  virtue!'  And  so  the  rich 


178  PRINCE     HAGEN 

man  may  have  what  he  will,  in  perfect 
peace  and  indifference!  By  heaven,  if  that 
be  not  a  wondrous  achievement,  I,  at  least, 
have  never  seen  one  in  my  life." 

I  was  silent  in  thought.  "  Then  you  be- 
lieve," I  asked,  finally,  "  that  this  morality 
was  invented  by  the  rich  for  their  own  advan- 
tage? " 

"  I  don't  know  how  it  came  to  exist,"  was 
the  reply;  "  it  seems  too  deeply  rooted  to  be 
an  invention ;  it  seems  to  be  a  congenital  dis- 


ease." 


"  Some  people,"  I  said,  gravely,  "  have 
believed  that  it  was  implanted  in  men  by  a 
God." 

"  Perhaps,"  said  Hagen,  "  or  perhaps  by 
a  devil.  Men  might  have  lived  in  holes  like 
woodchucks,  and  been  fat  and  happy,  but  now 
they  have  morality,  and  toil  and  die  for  some 
other  man's  delight." 

"  And  you  believe  that  the  rich  all  think 
thus  of  the  matter?  "  I  asked. 

"  The  rich  never  think  at  all,"  said  Hagen. 
"  What  business  have  the  rich  with  thinking? 
They  simply  take  things  as  they  are  and  enjoy 
them.  What  I  do  say  is  that  such  is  the  funda- 
mental principle  upon  which  all  the  world 


PRINCE     HAGEN  179 

acts.  I  say  that  you  make  a  universal  cove- 
nant, all  but  the  criminals,  of  honesty,  love, 
and  unselfishness;  that  you  then  set  to  work 
to  beat  and  hoodwink  each  other  with  the 
ferocity  and  remorselessness  of  the  hyena; 
and  that  the  covenant  is  then  taken  to  mean 
that  those  who  lose  will  not  resort  to  vio- 
lence. I  say  that  if  you  look  at  society,  any 
phase  of  it,  that  is  what  you  will  see;  I  say 
that  the  capitalist  seeks  to  outwit  the  working 
man,  the  storekeeper  to  outwit  his  customer, 
the  lawyer  to  outwit  his  client  —  that  every- 
thing living  outwits  or  is  outwitted  —  that,  in 
short,  the  very  essence  of  the  word  '  business ' 
is  that;  and  yet  so  much  is  the  importance  of 
the  other  principle  felt,  so  much  is  the  use  of 
morality  understood,  that  you  may  seek  where 
you  will,  among  the  vilest,  and  you  will  find 
all  due  pretence.  I  say,  for  instance,  and  I 
know  what  I  am  talking  about  in  this  case, 
that  there  is  not  in  the  jungles  of  Africa  to- 
day a  herd  of  wild  beasts  as  essentially  preda- 
tory, and  as  ruthless,  as  Tammany  Hall; 
there  is  not  a  man  who  belongs  to  it  who  does 
not  live  by  blackmail  and  corruption,  or  who 
has  any  thought  in  the  world  except  to  fasten 
his  claws  on  what  he  can ;  and  yet  to  hear  it 


i8o  PRINCE     HAGEN 

talk,  you  would  think  it  was  a  philanthropic 
society.  The  head  of  it  is  the  most  virtuous 
of  all,  and  declares  that  no  one  can  ever  prove 
that  he  took  a  dishonest  dollar  —  a  great 
tribute  to  his  management;  he  chose  not  to 
state  the  other  truth,  that  he  could  not  prove 
he  ever  took  an  honest  one.  And  as  I  tell 
you,  I  have  yet  to  find  the  part  of  this  big 
earth  where  the  same  proceeding  does  not 
prevail." 

"  You  have  certainly  perceived,"  I  pro- 
tested, "  that  Tammany  is  not  considered 
respectable." 

"Oh,  respectability!"  laughed  the  other. 
"Of  course;  its  leader  is  simply  a  half- 
varnished  thug;  but  that  is  not  in  the  least 
because  he  is  selfish,  but  because  he  is  vulgar, 
because  he  has  to  make  his  money  by  fooling 
the  masses,  and  by  blackmailing  the  shady 
members  of  society.  If  you  want  respecta- 
bility, there  is  Mr.  Weazel,  who  is  consider- 
ably more  virtuous,  —  a  gentleman  and  a 
member  of  a  church.  The  business  of  one 
is  done  in  the  tenement-houses,  while  that  of 
the  other  is  with  men  of  substance.  I  am  not 
at  liberty  to  say  just  now  what  I  think  of  Mr. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  181 

Weazel,  but  he  and  I  understand  each  other 
very  well." 

Prince  Hagen  paused  a  moment,  and  then 
added,  reflectively:  "That  distinction  I  have 
just  made  is,  I  think,  the  essence  of  the  word 
vulgarity;  the  difference  between  the  Jew- 
trader  and  any  of  these  society  ladies  who  bow 
to  me,  is  not  in  the  least  that  there  is  less  of 
money-getting  or  less  of  the  sham  I  speak  of. 
It  is  simply  that  one  haggles  for  a  few  cents, 
and  the  other  scatters  largesses  of  banquets 
and  balls." 

And  just  then  my  companion  raised  his  hat 
to  an  elegant  personage  who  whirled  by. 
"  That  was  my  friend  Mrs.  Miner-Gold," 
said  he,  "  a  lady  of  great  consequence,  as  you 
know."  And  then  he  cracked  his  whip,  and 
we  rolled  out  into  sight  of  the  park. 

"  You  know,"  he  added,  smiling,  "  that 
vulgarity  is  just  why  I  left  politics;  some  of 
it  is  inevitable  in  a  republic.  A  kingdom  is 
a  far  more  pleasant  arrangement,  but  for  the 
fact  that  you  may  not  happen  to  be  king." 

He  laughed;  I,  meanwhile,  was  thinking 
deeply.  Finally  he  went  on :  "  You  know, 
I  should  think  you  could  see  how  absurd  is 
all  the  fuss  you  make  about  this  struggling, 


i8i  PRINCE     HAGEN 

when  it  is  the  very  essence  and  soul  of  life. 
Is  it  not  a  plain  law  that  most  men  have  to 
work?  And  surely  it  is  easy  enough  for  any- 
body to  see  that  there  are  ten  times  as  many 
people  in  the  world  as  the  world  can  comfort- 
ably support.  It  is  like  a  barrel  full  of  rats  — 
there  is  only  a  certain  number  that  can  keep 
on  top,  and  the  rest  must  sweat  for  it  till 
they  die.  All  that  a  man  can  do,  that  I  see,  is 
to  take  care  that  he  comes  out  on  top." 

"  And  it  does  not  ever  trouble  you  about  the 
rest?  "  I  asked,  with  a  shudder. 

"  No,  of  course  not;  why  should  it?  It  is 
just  the  spice  of  danger  that  gives  zest  to  the 
combat.  Does  that  seem  so  dreadful  to  you?  " 

"  It  does,"  I  said,  "  it  is  not  a  pleasant 
description  of  being  rich." 

"  Oh,"  said  Hagen,  "  don't  imagine  that  the 
rich  folks  think  of  it  so.  They  simply  find 
themselves  on  top,  and  they  stay  there  and 
enjoy  the  view;  they  never  see  the  rats 
underneath,  so  why  should  they  fret  about 
them?  I  happen  to  have  seen  it  all,  and  so 
perhaps  that  makes  you  think  me  a  little 
worse." 

"  Assuredly,"  I  said.  "  It  makes  me  think 
you  a  fiend." 


PRINCE     HAGEN  183 

He  looked  at  me  in  amusement.  "  Well," 
he  replied,  "perhaps  I  am;  but  I  manage 
to  cut  a  pretty  good  figure,  don't  you  think? 
I  am  an  eminently  respectable  person."  (He 
raised  his  hat.)  "That  was  the  great  Mrs. 
Dyemandust  who  just  went  by,"  And  my 
companion  laughed  again  and  then  relapsed 
into  silence.  I  watched  him. 

"  You  know,"  he  said,  finally,  "  I  still  won- 
der at  your  blindness.  Put  aside  what  I  say, 
that  is  of  no  consequence;  only  see  what  I 
do,  and  tell  me  how  my  life  is  different  from 
any  of  the  people  I  meet.  I  have  money,  and 
I  invest  it  cleverly  and  make  an  income;  I 
spend  that  in  getting  pleasure  and  prestige. 
I  murder  no  man,  I  break  no  laws,  I  stoop  to 
no  dishonesty;  I  simply  ask  no  favours  and 
show  no  mercy,  —  which  is  business.  It 
happens,  of  course,  that  I  have  thought  more 
than  others  and  am  not  a  dupe;  that  I  am 
virtuous  because  I  see  the  use  of  it,  and  not 
from  blind  tradition.  I  have  seen  that  if  you 
once  do  away  with  morality,  if  you  once  let  all 
men  know  that  selfishness  is  the  law  of  life,  the 
mob  will  rise,  and  then  any  one  of  your  ser- 
vants is  your  master.  But  why  do  you  think 
I'd  be  any  better  if  I  were  really  a  dupe  of  my 


184  PRINCE     HAGEN 

pretences  —  and  still  lived  on  like  a  fiend, 
and  like  every  one  else?  " 

I  did  not  answer,  and  Prince  Hagen  con- 
tinued, after  a  pause: 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact,  you  know,"  he  said, 
"  a  man  is  at  a  disadvantage  just  in  so  far  as 
he  is  a  dupe  of  morality,  just  in  so  far  as  he  is 
moved  by  prejudice  and  not  by  wisdom.  It 
is  the  plain  truth  that  the  strongest  will 
always  rule,  and  that  morality  makes  their 
rule  enjoyable.  It  is  only  in  a  high  civilisa- 
tion that  great  wealth  and  luxury  can  exist; 
and  a  man  who  sees  this  plainly  can  drive  at 
his  goal  as  straight  as  an  arrow,  can  be 
stopped  by  nothing,  can  be  neither  affected 
by  passion  nor  blinded  by  delusion.  Take 
me,  for  instance;  I  love  nothing,  and  I  hate 
nothing.  I  never  lose  my  temper  —  you  sat 
there  and  called  me  a  fiend,  and  still  you 
amuse  me  as  much  as  ever;  and  that  is  the  rea- 
son that  I  stand  where  I  am,  and  the  reason 
that  I  shall  be  master  of  this  world  of  yours 
before  I  stop.  To  put  it  in  a  word,  I  can 
think,  and  I  have  seen  the  truth;  to  have 
done  that  is  to  be  no  longer  a  slave  of  men, 
but  a  god.  Look  at  all  the  religions,  for  in- 
stance, and  all  the  political  parties ;  they  serve 


PRINCE     HAGEN  185 

the  purpose  I  have  explained,  they  fool  the 
mob.  But  what  have  they  to  do  with  me? 
It's  just  like  the  worthy  Tammany  gentleman 
we  spoke  of;  he  goes  to  England  and  owns 
thoroughbreds;  and  the  poor  devils  who  stay 
at  home,  —  he  lets  each  one  of  them  wear  a 
badge,  and  call  himself  a  regular  Democrat, 
and  hurrah  all  night  for  the  victory!  That  is 
the  kind  of  thing  you  call  morality  and  devo- 


tion." 


There  was  one  time  when  I  was  happy 
listening  to  Prince  Hagen,  and  that  was  when 
he  got  after  Tammany.  But  he  did  not  con- 
tinue the  subject.  For  awhile  we  threaded 
our  way  in  silence  through  the  crowded  car- 
riages, stared  at  by  every  one,  and  bowed  to 
by  all  the  notabilities.  Then  at  last  my  com- 
panion began  speaking  once  more. 

"  I  have  observed,"  he  declared,  "  one  waiy 
in  which  a  man  can  see  pretty  clearly  what 
are  the  real  motives  of  humanity;  that  is  by 
watching  a  nation.  I  don't  know  just  why 
it  is,  but  virtue  seems  not  yet  to  have  spread 
that  far;  nations  have  no  morality,  and  hence 
no  shams,  and  we  can  therefore  learn  the 
whole  truth  from  them.  And  while  we  are 
using  illustrations,  a  perfect  type  of  a  nation 


i86  PRINCE     HAGEN 

is  its  representative,  a  war-ship ;  did  you  ever 
really  think  about  a  war-ship?  A  war-ship 
is  a  thing  which  no  one  can  possibly  misun- 
derstand; it  is  a  thing  that  is  built  to  say, 
(  Do  as  I  command,  or  be  hurled  out  of  exist- 
ence.' There  is  a  people  that  you  hate,  or 
that  will  not  give  you  three  feet  of  territory 
that  you  demand;  and  straightway  you  get 
out  your  war-ships,  and  you  pound,  and  you 
rend,  and  you  tear,  and  you  smash,  —  cities 
and  buildings,  human  flesh  and  human  souls, 
men,  women,  and  children,  —  just  as  much  as 
ever  you  need  to  accomplish  your  purpose; 
nor  does  it  make  the  slightest  difference  how 
trivial  the  purpose  may  be.  I  could  show  you 
where  millions  were  killed  for  a  harlot's 
whim.  To  mention  a  thought  of  mercy,  or 
even  of  justice,  in  connection  with  nations, 
big  or  little,  is  to  raise  a  laugh  anywhere. 
Europe  to-day  is  one  huge  cage  full  of  wild 
animals  that  glare  at  each  other  and  snarl. 
And  the  sentiment  of  the  nation  is,  of  course, 
the  sentiment  of  the  men  who  compose  it,  and 
a  perfect  resume  of  civilisation  stripped 
naked." 

"  There   is   a   sentiment,"    I   suggested,  — 
weakly,  I  own,  —  "  called  patriotism  —  " 


PRINCE     HAGEN  187 

Prince  Hagen  laughed.  "  '  My  country 
right  or  wrong!'"  he  said.  "And  what  is 
a  man's  country  but  a  macrocosm  of  himself? 
What  is  France  but  a  magnified  Frenchman; 
what  is  its  '  glory '  but  a  sublimation  of  his 
own  diseased  conceit?  Patriotism!  Has  each 
one  of  your  nations  a  separate  God?  " 

I  answered  nothing;  Prince  Hagen  laughed 
again. 

"  I  don't  blame  you,"  he  said.  "  Pretences, 
pretences!  You  do  not  like  to  see  this  self 
of  yours  naked;  everything  must  be  veiled, 
and  made  beautiful  and  pleasant.  I  think 
quite  the  most  wonderful  thing  about  this 
society  of  yours,  next  to  its  existing  at  all, 
is  the  way  in  which  the  ugliness  doesn't  show. 
Every  man  of  you  gratifies  his  lust  whenever 
he  pleases;  but  your  women  are  all  serene, 
and  your  books  are  all  decorous.  You  con- 
verse of  the  holiness  of  love  and  the  divineness 
of  the  sex,  and,  if  one  did  not  know  of  the  foul 
sties  where  you  pen  your  human  flesh,  he 
might  really  think  that  you  were  men  of  stern- 
ness and  truth.  And  see  the  wives  of  your 
rich  men!  Down  in  Nibelheim,  when  we 
wish  things  done,  we  drive  the  people  to  it 
with  our  whips;  but  your  society  woman,  if 


i88  PRINCE     HAGEN 

she  lashes  any  one,  even  with  her  tongue,  she 
does  it  in  her  boudoir.  But  is  any  master  in 
Nibelheim  better  served  than  she?  She  has 
a  thousand  at  her  beck  and  call,  to  prepare  her 
gowns,  and  her  banquets,  and  her  mansions, 
and  she  never  stirs  a  ringer!  All  this,  you 
know,  is  what  I  find  the  wonder  of  your  civ- 
ilisation. Before  it  there  was  an  age  of  mili- 
tarism, when  the  master  was  the  robber-baron 
who  trained  himself  in  brute  strength,  and 
killed  those  who  did  not  obey  him.  But  now 
we  have  industrialism;  this  blessed  morality 
has  done  away  with  force,  and  we  barons 
train  our  brains,  and  command  men  by  the 
power  of  our  wealth, — which  means  to  say 
that,  instead  of  killing  them,  we  starve  them 
to  obedience.  And  only  see  how  wonderfully 
it  works!  For  I  find  myself  lord  as  never 
was  an  Alexander;  I  can  hand  down  my 
empire  to  my  children,  something  which  no 
Alexander  could  do.  And  I  have  no  music 
and  no  body-guard,  but  I  tell  you,  sir,  what  I 
want  done  is  done,  and  done  quickly,  and 
there  is  no  man  who  dares  defy  my  will." 

He  paused.  "  It  is  not  quite  as  bad  as  that," 
I  ventured,  mildly. 

"  Oh,  I  know  what  you  mean!  "  laughed  he. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  189 

"  You  say  that  a  man  is  free  to  work  where  he 
will.  But  that  is  only  your  bad  economics;  if 
I  command  the  labour  of  society,  I  command 
the  labour  of  every  man  in  society.  Of  course, 
I  don't  deny  that  a  body  can  go  off  in  the 
wilderness,  like  you,  and  live  off  birds'  eggs 
and  fish;  but  what  I  do  say  is,  that  if  you 
want  to  live  in  society,  it  is  7  you  must  pay 
for  the  privilege;  for  the  food  is  mine,  and 
the  clothing  is  mine,  and,  if  you  want  it,  you 
must  serve  me.  A  man  calls  himself  an  artist, 
and  prattles  about  his  sublime  ideals;  but  if 
he  paints  a  picture,  it  is  7  who  buy  it,  and  I 
put  it  in  one  of  my  hall  bedrooms.  He  calls 
himself  a  musician,  and  labours  for  art;  but 
he  comes  to  my  house  and  plays  when  I  bid 
him.  He  writes  his  books,  and  he  wears  out 
his  soul  in  making  them  beautiful ;  but  if  he 
doesn't  make  them  to  suit  the  rich  people, 
where  is  he?  " 

Prince  Hagen  paused  again;  he  had  gotten 
down  to  personal  matters.  "Where  is  he?" 
he  repeated,  vehemently;  and  I  answered, 
"  About  where  I  am  now." 

Then  I  added:  "At  least,  however,  I  can 
be  sure  no  rich  person  will  ever  get  much 
pleasure  from  my  writings!  " 


190  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  Don't  boast,"  smiled  the  other;  "  we  like 
to  see  sometimes  how  jealous  people  are." 

There  was  a  silence,  in  which  I  inwardly 
resolved  to  attempt  no  more  retorts;  then 
my  companion  went  on.  "  Don't  suppose," 
said  he,  "  that  I'm  denying  that  any  individual 
may  get  free ;  you  might,  for  instance,  if  you 
weren't  so  obstreperous,  write  a  clever  book, 
and  become  a  capitalist  yourself.  But  what 
I  do  say  is  that  the  vast  mass  of  men  obey  their 
masters;  I  say  that  the  very  lawmakers  obey 
them,  if  they  want  money  to  be  elected  again. 
If  they  do  not  obey,  we  have  only  to  bribe  the 
voters  to  choose  others;  for  nothing  in  the 
world  is  easier  than  to  bribe  any  man  to  cheat 
society,  and  therefore  himself.  You  see  this 
new  power  of  which  I  am  speaking  has  your 
civilisation  riveted  in  chains  of  steel;  there 
is  only  one  way  you  can  overthrow  it,  and 
that  is  to  overthrow  society;  the  reason  being 
that  the  foundation-stone  of  the  social  system 
is  this  beautiful  morality,  this  right  of  every 
man  to  keep  all  that  he  can  get." 

Prince  Hagen  must  have  felt  that  I  shud- 
dered at  those  last  words  of  his;  he  laughed. 
"  There  is  not  the  slightest  need  of  thinking 
it  dreadful,"  he  remarked,  "  for  what  I  am 


PRINCE     HAGEN  191 

laying  down  is  really  the  fundamental  princi- 
ple of  life,  —  that  the  weak  are  the  natural 
prey  of  the  strong;  there  is  no  power  on  God's 
earth  that  can  prevent  that.  Once  it  was  the 
law  of  the  galleys,  and  now  it  is  the  law  of 
the  sweat-shop,  that  the  victims  are  given  just 
food  and  shelter  enough  to  keep  them  alive, 
in  exchange  for  the  labour  of  every  instant 
they  can  stand  and  see."  And  then  he  paused 
for  a  moment,  and  gazed  at  me  smiling. 

"  There  is  one  way  of  escape,"  he  went  on, 
finally,  "  one  way  of  overcoming  these  strong 
men  and  preventing  their  rule;  that  is  by 
having  one  stronger  yet.  First  there  were 
the  barons,  and  then  there  was  a  king;  and, 
if  you  watch,  I  can  promise  you  that  you  shall 
see  history  repeat  itself.  I  am  going  to  set 
out,  you  know,  to  be  a  capitalist  of  the  capi- 
talists." 

I  looked  at  him  with  interest.  "  You  are 
going  in  for  finances?  "  I  asked. 

He  laughed.  "  What  did  you  expect?  "  he 
inquired.  "  Do  you  suppose  that  I  am  going 
to  content  myself  with  this  society  imbecility? 
Do  you  imagine  I  have  no  higher  aims  in  the 
world  than  being  stared  at  by  wax  dolls?  " 


192  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"You  are  just  amusing  yourself,  then?"  I 
demanded. 

"  Partly,"  said  Prince  Hagen,  laughing, 
"  and  partly  I  want  to  look  around  me  and 
get  myself  established.  I  don't  want  to  be 
regarded  as  a  public  nuisance,  you  know, 
when  I  do  get  to  work;  I  must  be  a  respected 
member  of  society.  I  shall  have  to  endow  a 
few  colleges,  so  that  the  newspapers  won't 
call  me  names.  And  besides  that,  of  course, 
there  is  the  real  reason  —  that  I  am  getting 
my  funds  together,  cashing  in  my  chips,  so 
to  speak.  I  have  to  be  very  careful  about 
that." 

"How  do  you  mean?"  I  inquired. 

"  If  you  have  ever  thought  about  it,"  re- 
plied my  companion,  "  you  know  that  wealth 
stands  for  services  rendered.  All  these  capi- 
talists that  we  are  talking  about  have  done 
something  for  society,  or  pretended  to,  and 
have  been  paid  for  it;  or,  if  they  did  not,  some 
one  else  did  it  for  them.  Mr.  Snob,  let  us 
say,  plays  at  being  a  gentleman,  and  considers 
that  his  own  country  isn't  good  enough  for 
him  to  inhabit;  but  his  grandfather  carried  a 
peddler's  pack,  you  know,  and  made  the 


PRINCE     HAGEN  193 

money.  Do  you  understand  what  I  am  driv- 
ing at?  " 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  I  replied,  "  that  I  do." 

"  Well,"  said  the  other,  "  ask  yourself  what 
I  have  done.  It  simply  happens,  by  chance, 
you  see,  that  I  have  a  store  of  what  society, 
in  its  ignorance,  has  made  its  standard  of 
value;  and  of  course,  therefore,  I  have  to 
move  very  quietly  while  I'm  getting  rid  of 
it.  It  is  likely  there  is  a  great  deal  more  gold 
in  Nibelheim  than  there  is  on  the  whole 
earth's  surface  to-day;  and,  if  that  was  once 
known,  why  the  price  of  gold  would  simply 
go  down  like  lead." 

"  Sure  enough,"  I  said,  not  without  won- 
der; then  afterward  I  added:  "  But  tell  me, 
hasn't  it  ever  occurred  to  you  that  I  might 
tell  on  you?  " 

"You?"  laughed  Prince  Hagen,  beaming 
on  me.  "  Bless  my  soul,  no." 

"  But  why  not?  " 

"  Who  would  pay  any  attention  to  you,  you 
goose?  The  story  is  obviously  impossible,  in 
the  first  place;  and  then,  who  are  you?  I 
have  not  been  in  the  world  as  long  as  I  have 
without  observing  how  much  attention  it  pays 
to  its  authors." 


194  PRINCE     HAGEN 

I  answered  nothing;  after  awhile  my  com- 
panion added,  with  a  genial  laugh,  "  No,  I'm 
not  afraid  of  telling  my  plans  to  you.  I'd 
even  advise  you  to  invest  in  railroad  stock, 
my  good  friend,  only  I  know  you  have  no 
money." 

"You  intend  to  go  in  for  railroads?"  I 
asked,  not  heeding  his  jest. 

"  I  intend  to  go  in  for  everything,"  an- 
swered Hagen.  "  Why  should  I  care  what  it 
is?  Perhaps  it  would  be  difficult  for  me  to 
make  you  realise  my  plans,  because  your  im- 
agination is  timid;  but  I  can  merely  tell  you 
that,  when  I  once  start  in  at  business,  I  mean 
simply  to  buy  everything  that's  for  sale. 
There  is  but  one  thing  that  keeps  a  man  from 
being  master  of  this  society  of  yours,  and  do- 
ing just  what  he  pleases  with  it;  and  that  is 
competition.  When  I  set  out,  it  will  be  with 
the  simple  intention  of  putting  an  end  to  com- 
petition. You  look  puzzled,  as  I  tell  you 
that;  and  no  doubt  it  seems  to  you  a  wild 
fancy.  But  what  can  be  the  meaning  of  all 
this  specialising  and  incorporating,  except 
that  the  world  needs  not  many  masters,  but 
one  master?  All  that  is  wanted,  you  know, 
is  money;  any  man  who  had  the  brains  and 


PRINCE     HAGEN  195 

the  nerve,  and  whose  financial  power  was  un- 
limited, might  do  to-day  just  what  I  mean  to 
do  —  make  a  close  corporation  of  this  planet 
—  might  make  himself  lord  and  master  of 
the  whole  system  of  society,  and  charge  for 
his  services  just  exactly  whatever  he  chose. 
I  think  of  that,  you  know,  when  I  meet  all 
these  strutting  turkeys  who  come  to  my  par- 
ties. It  is  only  that  that  makes  it  possible 
to  bear  them,  —  that  I  know  I  can  twist  their 
necks  whenever  I  wish,  and  let  them  know  to 
whom  the  barn-yard  belongs." 

Prince  Hagen  cracked  his  whip,  and  his 
eyes  flashed.  I  watched  him  for  some  time 
in  silence.  "  But  you  are  sure  you  can  do  it?  " 
I  asked  at  last.  "  You  have  made  no  mistake 
in  your  plans?  " 

"Mistake?"  asked  he.  "Shall  I  not  be 
beating  them  at  their  own  game?  Do  not 
these  people  glory  in  their  commercial  era? 
Is  it  not  they  themselves  who  have  declared 
that  wealth  shall  be  the  power  in  the  world? 
How  is  it  that  they  make  men  serve  them, 
except  just  as  I  have  told  you,  by  the  power 
of  starvation?  They  allow  men  just  enough 
to  keep  them  alive  and  able  to  work;  and  why 
should  not  I  do  the  same  thing  in  my  turn? 


196  PRINCE     HAGEN 

I  am  perfectly  safe,  you  know;  they  cannot 
break  the  rules  of  the  game;  if  they  take 
my  wealth  from  me  by  force,  they  pull  the 
corner-stone  out  of  the  system  they  have  built, 
and  crush  themselves  as  well  as  me.  Is  not 
that  all  clear  as  day?  " 

"  But,"  I  objected,  "  it  is  not  true  that  you 
have  all  the  wealth." 

Prince  Hagen  laughed  grimly.  "  I  have 
so  nearly  all,"  he  replied,  "  that  the  rest  is 
not  worth  mentioning.  I  have  thousands  of 
those  little  Nibelung  creatures  digging  away, 
and  willing  to  dig  for  ever;  and  there  is  down 
in  Nibelheim  already  the  gold  that  they  have 
stored  up  in  the  Lord  only  knows  how  many 
thousands  of  years." 

"  But  it  is  not  all  yours,  Prince  Hagen," 
I  put  in.  He  laughed.  "  I'll  attend  to  that 
by  and  bye,"  he  said,  and  his  eyes  shone. 

He  touched  the  wonderful  horses  with  his 
whip,  and  the  carriage  swept  out  of  the  park 
and  began  threading  the  labyrinth  of  vehicles 
on  Fifth  Avenue.  "We  are  almost  home 
now,"  he  said.  "  There  is  no  time  for  me  to 
tell  you  all  my  plans.  But  you  are  not  an 
imaginative  person.  You  would  not  believe 


PRINCE     HAGEN  197 

me,  anyway.  You  must  wait  and  see  how 
things  happen." 

I  did  not  say  anything;  I  watched  my  com- 
panion's mouth  twitching,  as  he  guided  the 
horses.  "  Just  think,"  he  exclaimed,  breaking 
at  last  into  laughter,  "  only  a  few  months  ago 
I  was  a  schoolboy,  and  you  were  trying  to 
make  an  Idealist  out  of  me!  And  telling  me 
that  I  could  rise  in  the  world  only  by  my 
virtue!  Wasn't  it  funny?  " 

Again  I  did  not  reply;  he  went  on  grimly: 
"  I  am  rising  not  altogether  badly,  on  the 
whole.  By  the  way,  there'll  be  some  news 
in  this  afternoon's  papers  that  I  fancy  may 
interest  you.  Have  you  seen  it?  " 

"  No,"  I  said.    "  What  is  it?  " 

"  Read  it  and  see,"  he  replied,  smiling. 
"  It's  a  long  story,  and  there's  no  time  now." 

We  were  then  just  approaching  the  "  pala- 
tial mansion;  "  as  the  horses  drew  up,  attend- 
ants came  out,  and  a  crowd  began  gathering 
in  an  instant.  Prince  Hagen  sprang  from  the 
wagon  without  appearing  to  notice  the  excite- 
ment. 

"  You  must  come  in  and  see  me  some  day," 
he  said,  pleasantly.  "  Perhaps  you  might  like 
to  see  some  of  my  playthings," 


198  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  I  will  come,"  I  replied,  as  he  turned  to 
ascend  the  great  stone  steps.  And  then  as  he 
vanished,  I  hurried  down  the  street,  stared 
at  by  the  crowd.  From  the  first  newsboy  I 
met  I  bought  a  paper,  and  on  the  front  page 
I  read  this : 

"PRINCE   HAGEN   ENGAGED! 

ANNOUNCEMENT  OF  HIS  BETROTHAL  TO  MISS 
GOLDEN    KIDD. 

TREMENDOUS    EXCITEMENT    IN    SOCIETY! 

"  An  announcement  was  made  this  morn- 
ing, which  completely  electrified  social  cir- 
cles in  New  York,  that  Prince  Hagen,  the 
now  world-famous  millionaire  and  society 
leader,  was  engaged  to  marry  Miss  Golden 
Kidd,  daughter  of  the  late  Captain  Kidd. 
This  announcement  was  made  by  the  Kidd 
family,  but  no  details  could  be  obtained  from 
either  of  the  parties  concerned,  except  that 
the  Statement  was  positive  and  authentic.  The 
news  came  as  an  entire  surprise  to  every  one 
in  society.  It  is  considered  the  most  im- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  199 

portant  of  the  social  season,  capping  as  it 
does  the  climax  of  the  meteoric  career  of  the 
dazzling  Prince  Hagen,"  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

And  I  thought  that  it  capped  the  climax, 
too. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  reader  must  be  so  good  as  to  imagine 
that  a  couple  of  months  have  passed  since  the 
announcement  which  closed  the  last  chapter. 
I  give  two  more  newspaper  articles  concern- 
ing Prince  Hagen.  The  first  of  them  was 
under  the  heading  of  "Finance;"  it  was  a 
very  long  and  weighty  article,  filled  with 
many  technical  terms  which  I  did  not  under- 
stand. The  gist  of  it  was  as  follows: 

Panicky  and  unsettled  conditions  prevailed 
generally  to-day;  the  mysterious  rumours  of 
a  bull  movement,  which  have  been  agitating 
Wall  Street  for  a  week,  gained  in  force.  The 
steady  rise  in  prices  of  all  kinds  continued 
throughout  the  morning,  and  toward  after- 
noon increased  to  a  startling  extent.  Specific 
quotations  are  tabulated  below;  on  an  aver- 
age, quotations  showed  a  gain  of  five  points 
at  the  hour  of  closing  last  night,  and  general 
alarm  and  anxiety  prevailed.  Startling  de- 
velopments must  be  awaited  to-day. 

The  cause  of  the  movement  was  the  con- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  201 

tinuous  buying  of  half  a  dozen  firms,  who 
seemed  to  be  provided  with  inexhaustible  re- 
sources, and  who  forced  prices  steadily  up 
in  spite  of  the  most  strenuous  efforts  of  a 
strong  bear  party,  whose  offers  were  accepted 
in  all  cases  without  a  moment's  hesitation. 
These  circumstances  lent  strength  to  the 
strange  rumour  which  has  been  terrifying 
Wall  Street  for  several  days,  that  Rrince 
Hagen  was  about  to  begin  operations  with 
his  tremendous  resources;  evidence  for  this, 
except  the  continuous  purchasing  of  the 
broker  firms,  there  was  none,  but  the  rumour 
gained  currency  more  and  more. 

What  would  be  the  effect  of  the  entrance 
into  Wall  Street  of  Prince  Hagen's  untold 
wealth,  at  this  hour  it  is  not  easy  to  tell;  but 
one  can  easily  understand  the  alarm  which 
the  report  excited,  etc.,  etc. 

So  much  for  one,  and  now  the  other: 

"ALL  THINGS   READY  FOR  THE 
WEDDING. 

MISS  KIDD  WILL  BECOME  PRINCESS  HAGEN  IN 
A    VERITABLE    FAIRYLAND. 

HARD  TO  GET  ROSES  ENOUGH. 


202  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  The  Kidd  residence  was  entirely  given 
up  last  night  to  the  transforming  genius  of 
the  florist,  and  long  after  the  family  had  re- 
tired, the  half-hundred  men  employed  for 
the  purpose  were  busy  putting  the  finishing 
touches  to  the  magnificent  decorations  which 
will  help  render  memorable  the  wedding  of 
the  daughter  of  the  house.  Through  all  the 
wealth  of  floral  display,  the  rose  will  pre- 
dominate, and,  indeed,  be  queen.  The  coun- 
try has  been  ransacked  from  Boston  to  Cali- 
fornia for  roses,  and  still  there  were  not 
enough  last  night. 

"  It  is  estimated  that  fully  fifty  thousand 
flowers  will  be  used  in  beautifying  the  house, 
including  American  Beauty  roses,  lilies  of  the 
valley,  Japan  lilies,  orchids,  and  bridesmaids. 
In  addition  there  will  be  employed  seventy 
thousand  strings  of  smilax,  sixty-eight  thou- 
sand yards  of  asparagus  vines,  and  ropes  of 
asparagus  vine  will  fall  from  the  ceiling  of 
the  square  rotunda  in  the  centre  of  the  man- 
sion to  the  first  floor,  so  as  to  form  a  canopy. 

"  The  family  spent  a  quiet  and  compara- 
tively uneventful  Sunday.  In  the  morning 
the  bridesmaids  and  some  of  the  ushers  who 
called  were  allowed  to  view  the  magnifi- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  203 

cent  wedding  presents,  which  were  displayed 
in  the  library.  The  presents  will  also  be  on 
exhibition  after  the  ceremony. 


"  WONDERFUL  DECORATIONS. 

"  The  ceremony  will  take  place  at  two 
o'clock,  directly  in  front  of  the  long  pier- 
glass  in  the  music-room,  which  is  the  south- 
eastern corner  of  the  mansion.  The  glass 
will  be  concealed  by  a  screen  of  imperial  pur- 
ple tapestry,  embroidered  with  a  very  quaint 
pattern  in  silver.  This  tapestry  will  be  car- 
ried up  to  a  few  inches  below  the  ceiling, 
and  fall  in  a  canopy  over  the  raised  dais  upon 
which  Archbishop  Sullivan  will  stand  in 
performing  the  ceremony. 

"  Along  the  sides  of  the  tapestry  will  run 
ropes  of  smilax  and  lilies  of  the  valley,  which 
will  form  a  covered  walk,  or  aisle,  extending 
from  the  foot  of  the  dais  to  the  staircase. 
The  aisle  will  be  marked  out  through  the 
music-room  by  strands  of  purple  satin  ribbon, 
supported  at  intervals  by  the  stalks  of  flower- 
ing plants. 


204  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"THE    BRIDAL    PARTY. 

"  The  bridal  procession  will  be  headed  by 
the  ushers,  who,  as  they  reach  the  dais,  will 
arrange  themselves  on  one  side.  The  brides- 
maids will  take  up  a  position  immediately  in 
front  of  the  ushers,  and  then  Miss  Kidd  will 
advance  to  the  dais,  where  her  brother  will 
place  her  hand  in  that  of  the  prince,  and  then 
step  to  the  rear.  The  members  of  the  family 
will  follow.  The  wedding  breakfast  will  be 
served  after  the  ceremony,  in  the  music  and 
dfhing  rooms,  at  small  tables. 

"  As  Miss  Kidd  is  pronouncing  the  words 
which  will  make  her  the  Princess  Hagen, 
nearly  twenty  thousand  poor  children  will  sit 
down  to  a  feast  which  is  to  be  provided  by 
the  prince,"  etc.,  etc. 

At  last  the  wedding-day  came.  That  day 
I  was  walking  up  Fifth  Avenue,  without  any 
particular  purpose,  and  I  chanced  to  walk  by 
the  great  Hagen  home;  everybody  stared  at 
it  as  they  passed,  as  if  trying  to  see  beyond 
the  heavy  curtains  in  the  windows.  All  New 
York  was  talking  about  the  marriage  of  the 
afternoon. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  205 

It  was  then  early  in  the  morning,  and  I 
chanced,  as  I  went  by,  to  recollect  Prince 
Hagen's  invitation  to  call;  an  irresistible 
impulse  seized  me  to  go  in  and  have  a  look 
at  his  world-famed  treasures,  and  to  congrat- 
ulate him  upon  his  good  fortune.  I  tried  to 
argue  myself  out  of  the  desire  with  the  state- 
ment that  it  was  too  late;  but  I  knew  that 
Prince  Hagen  was  not  the  one  to  have  his 
equanimity  ruffled,  even  a  few  hours  before 
his  marriage. 

"He  may  not  be  so  glad  to 4 see  me,"  I 
mused,  "  as  now  when  he's  a  bachelor.  I  am 
going." 

And  so  I  turned,  not  without  a  certain 
amount  of  pride  at  being  the  only  one  of  that 
wondering  crowd  who  dared  ascend  those 
imposing  steps.  The  servant  who  opened  the 
door  for  me  stared  a  trifle,  and  made  me 
wonder,  uncomfortably,  if  my  costume  were 
possibly  not  up  to  the  standard ;  but  he  took 
my  card,  and  I  sat  down  to  wait. 

I  have  already  quoted  a  description  of  the 
entrance-hallway  of  the  Hagen  mansion;  my 
business  at  present  is  with  the  owner  himself. 
In  a  few  minutes  the  servant  returned  and 
escorted  me  to  a  wondrous  reception-room, 


206  PRINCE     HAGEN 

glowing  with  jewelled  gold,  where  I  per- 
ceived its  owner,  clad  simply  in  black,  reclin- 
ing in  a  golden  chair.  He  rose  with  a  smile 
to  greet  me.  "  I  was  wondering  if  you  ever 
meant  to  come,"  he  said. 

"  I  am  a  little  afraid  of  all  this  splendour," 
I  answered,  smiling  in  turn,  and  taking  the 
seat  offered  me ;  "  and  then  I  feared  that 
since  your  engagement  you  might  be  busy." 

"  Oh,  no,"  he  said,  "  I  am  always  glad  to 
see  my  Idealist.  And  how  is  the  world  treat- 
ing you?  " 

"  It  seems  to  be  treating  you  very  well,"  I 
said,  dodging  the  question ;  "  I  suppose  this 
is  a  very  happy  day  with  you?  " 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Prince  Hagen,  mildly. 

"  And  how  do  you  like  being  in  love?  "  I 
asked. 

He  gave  a  slight  start.  "  Who  in  the  devil 
suggested  that  to  you?  "  he  inquired. 

"  But  you  are  going  to  be  married  to-day," 
I  said. 

"  Ah,  yes,"  he  answered,  twiddling  his 
fingers,  "  that  I  know." 

He  sat  for  a  moment  watching  me,  and 
smiling.  "You  are  not  in  love?"  I  asked, 
finally. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  207 

"  Let  us  not  talk  nonsense,"  said  he. 

"  But  tell  me  why  you  are  marrying,"  I  de- 
manded. "  You  surely  do  not  need  money." 

"  Oh,  no,"  he  said,  "  but  it's  the  proper 
thing  to  do,  and  I  want  to  establish  myself. 
It  gives  me  a  little  more  prestige,  you  know, 
and  also  it  draws  attention  from  my  financial 
coup.  The  latter  is  on  now,  by  the  way,  as  I 
suppose  you've  seen.  Then,  too,  it  gives  me 
business  connections,  so  that  I  can  proceed 
without  attracting  attention ;  and  it's  a  pleas- 
ant adventure,  and  it  doesn't  cost  me  any 
trouble.  There  are  many  reasons,  you  see." 

I  sat  for  awhile  watching  him  in  silence,  he 
smiling;  I  think  part  of  the  reason  he  liked 
to  talk  to  me  was  that  I  was  the  biggest  fool 
he  knew,  and  it  amused  him. 

"  Prince  Hagen,"  I  asked,  finally,  "  have 
you  told  your  fiancee  who  you  are?  " 

"Told  her?"  inquired  he,  in  surprise. 
"  I  have  told  her  I  am  Prince  Hagen." 

"  But  does  she  know  that  you  are  a  Nibel- 
ung?  "  I  insisted. 

"  No,"  he  said,  "  of  course  not." 

"  Do  you  know,"  I  said,  in  a  low  tone, 
"  I  have  wondered  if  it  was  not  my  duty  to 
tell  her." 


ao8  PRINCE     HAGEN 

He  was  taking  a  jewelled  cigar-case  from 
his  pocket.  "Why  don't  you?"  he  asked, 
without  stopping. 

"  You  think  that  I  could  not  make  her  be- 
lieve me?  "  I  inquired. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  he ;  "  but  what  dif- 
ference would  that  make?  " 

"  You  mean  that  she  would  marry  you 
none  the  less?  " 

"Have  a  cigar?"  said  Prince  Hagen; 
and  then  as  I  declined,  he  slowly  lighted 
his.  "  My  dear  fellow,"  he  said  at  last,  be- 
tween the  puffs;  "you  might  prove  to  her 
that  I  was  the  devil,  with  hoofs  and  horns, 
and  with  brimstone  and  sulphur  inside  of 
me,  and  still  she'd  marry  me.  I  might  be  a 
French  nobleman,  the  very  bones  in  my  body 
rotten  with  centuries  of  inherited  lust,  —  a 
cad,  and  a  puppy,  and  a  duellist  beside,  — 
and  still  she'd  marry  me!  Do  you  not  know 
that  the  family  has  tested  all  these  vases?  " 

He  paused  for  a  moment,  and  drank  a  long 
draught  of  amusement  while  he  watched  me; 
then  at  last  he  continued :  "  You  seem  not  to 
show  a  proper  appreciation  of  what  a  super- 
eminently desirable  bridegroom  I  am.  It  is 
not  merely  that  I  am  the  most  lavish  enter- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  209 

tainer  and  the  most  talked  of  man  in  New 
York;  it  is  not  that  I  am,  presumably,  the 
richest  man  in  the  world;  but  I  am  a  prince 
as  well!  And  I  tell  you  there's  no  one  in  all 
this  world  to  cringe  to  a  foreign  nobleman 
like  your  genuine  free-born  American." 

Prince  Hagen  waited,  but  I  did  not  reply. 
"  I  think,"  he  continued,  "  it  is  because  they 
are  so  vulgar  they  can't  help  knowing  it. 
These  would-be  aristocrats  —  they  are  all  of 
them  fresh  from  killing  hogs,  and  such 
things;  and  they  all  try  to  be  proud,  and 
can't  be  anything  but  uncomfortable.  They 
all  look  down  on  each  other,  and  everybody 
looks  down  on  them;  and  so  when  a  man  of 
real  aristocracy  comes  from  Europe,  that  is 
what  they  are  all  pining  for,  and  they  lick 
his  boots,  even  while  he  kicks  them;  and  a 
woman  will  marry  him,  even  if  she  has  to  buy 
him  a  suit  of  clothes  to  make  him  decent 
enough  for  the  ceremony,  and  though  he 
keeps  mistresses  with  her  money  before  and 
afterward.  I  learned  that  much  about  your 
American  society  in  a  very  few  days." 

I  had  no  reply  to  make,  and  we  sat  for  a 
moment  in  silence,  he  puffing  at  his  cigar; 
then  he  said :  "  Here  are  some  of  the  accounts 


210  PRINCE     HAGEN 

of  the  great  event;  would  you  like  to  see 
them?" 

"  I've  already  read  to-day's  papers,"  I  in- 
formed him. 

"  Ah,  yes,"  he  replied.  "  But  I  mean  to- 
morrow's." 

"To-morrow's!"   I  echoed,  in  wonder. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  they  all  send  me  the 
proofs  to  read  over,  of  course.  You  will  see 
where  they  have  left  the  blanks  for  me  to 
fill  in." 

And  as  I  gave  a  gasp,  he  handed  out  to  me 
a  batch  of  long  strips  of  paper,  —  the  ac- 
counts of  half  a  dozen  of  the  most  prominent 
journals.  I  glanced  over  one  of  them  —  the 
Hurled  —  while  Prince  Hagen  watched  me 
and  laughed. 

"  PRINCE  HAGEN  MARRIED. 

WEDDED  TO  MISS  GOLDEN  KIDD  YESTERDAY. 
ARCHBISHOP  SULLIVAN  TIED  THE  KNOT. 

UNITED  IN  A  PARADISE  OF  FLOWERS.  WED- 
DING PRESENTS  OF  ASTOUNDING  VALUE; 
DIAMONDS  AND  OTHER  PRECIOUS  STONES. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  211 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  FIFTH  AVENUE  HOME, 
OF  THE  BRIDE'S  TROUSSEAU,  AND  THE  BRIDES- 
MAIDS' GOWNS. 

"  In  the  music-room  of  the  bride's  palatial 
residence,  Archbishop  Sullivan  presiding, 
Miss  Golden  Kidd,  daughter  of  the  late  Cap- 
tain Kidd,  was  married  at  two  o'clock  yester- 
day afternoon,  to  Prince  Raffaeli  Alexandro- 
vitch  Boniment  de  Hagen.  Immediately 
after  the  ceremony  the  bride  and  groom  left 
the  Kidd  residence,  taking  the  half-past  four 
o'clock  train  for  the  South  Sea  Islands.  The 
prince  was  accompanied  by  his  valets  and 
attendants,  and  the  princess  by  her  maids. 

"  No  words  could  be  adequate  to  describe 
the  scene  of  wonder  which  was  presented  by 
the  gorgeous  mansion.  Lavish  decorations 
of  flowers  made  the  place  a  scene  of  enchant- 
ment, while  from  hidden  instruments  music 
heralded  the  bridal  procession  to  the  guests, 
and  a  voice,  famous  upon  two  continents, 
sang  the  song  of  welcome.  Madame  Paga- 
nini,  of  the  Italian  opera,  was  concealed  by 
bowers  of  roses  and  rare  orchids,  and  festoons 
of  smilax  made  dazzling  by  myriads  of  elec- 
tric lamps;  from  this  point  of  vantage  she 


212  PRINCE     HAGEN 

sang  the  dream  song  from  '  Lohengrin '  to  a 
hushed  and  awestricken  assemblage,  etc.,  etc. 
"  Ere  the  song  had  closed,  the  guests  had 
placed  themselves  in  the  apartment  where 
the  ceremony  was  to  take  place.  As  the 
orchestra  burst  forth  in  the  strains  of  the 
Lohengrin  wedding-march,  the  bridal  party 
came  into  sight  down  the  flower-strewn  aisle. 
Archbishop  Sullivan,  attended  by  Fathers 
O'Donnelly  and  Rafferty,  and  Fathers  Mur- 
phy and  McGinnis,  advanced  to  the  raised 
dais,  with  its  canopy  of  velvet  and  gold. 

"  THE  BRIDAL  PARTY. 

"Then    came    the    bridal    party;     Prince 

Hagen  attended  by-    —and ,  who  had 

been  waiting  in  the  reception-room,  came 
through  the  suddenly  opened  doors  and  took 
their  places  behind  the  clergymen.  Likewise 
the  ushers,  advancing  through  the  room,  led 
the  way  up  the  garlanded  aisle  to  where  the 
archbishop  and  his  assistants  stood  in  solemn 
state.  The  procession  which  followed  was 

led  by  -    —  and .    After  them  came  the 

bridesmaids  -  -  and  -  — ,  dressed  in  black 
astrachan  trimmed  with  cheesecloth,  and 


PRINCE     HAGEN  213 

wearing  Gainsborough  hats  of  mousseline  de 
soie,  shirred  with  Nile-green  peacock  feath- 
ers, and  each  carrying  a  gigantic  bouquet  of 
pink  and  white  geraniums.  The  bride  came 

next,  leaning  upon  the  arm  of  .     Her 

great  train,  which  was  fully  nineteen  feet 
long,  was  carried  by  ,  ,  ,  and 

"  The  bride  looked  her  best,  but  it  was 
evident  that  she  was  nervous.  The  ushers 
took  the  stand  upon  either  side  of  the  arch- 
bishop, separating  into  couples.  The  brides- 
maids did  likewise,  and,  handing  her  bouquet 
of  black-eyed  Susans  to  her  sister,  the  bride 
advanced  and  stood  at  last  at  her  future  hus- 
band's side.  At  the  same  critical  instant 
Madame  Paganini,  accompanied  by  trom- 
bone and  bassoon,  began  tremblingly  to  sing 
'  Oh,  Promise  Me.'  The  archbishop,  with 
his  mitre  raised  aloft,  stood  solemnly  facing 
the  guests,  Fathers  O'Donnelly  and  Murphy 
being  on  his  left  hand  with  the  service  books, 
and  Fathers  Rafferty  and  McGinnis  being  on 
the  right.  As  soon  as  the  notes  of  the  wonder- 
ful music  had  subsided,  the  archbishop  began 

the    service.      stepped    forward    and 

handed  to  Prince  Hagen  the  Nibelung  ring, 


214  PRINCE     HAGEN 

which  he,  bending  low,  placed  upon  the  trem- 
bling finger  of  the  blushing  bride. 

"A    NOBLE    BENEDICTION. 

"  In  his  address,  before  pronouncing  the 
benediction,  the  archbishop  spoke  as  follows, 
stooping  and  seeming  to  speak  only  for  the 
wedded  pair.  He  warned  them  that  in  this 
world  everything  is  arranged  by  an  overrul- 
ing and  all-powerful  Providence;  this  should 
be  an  hour  of  deepest  humility  and  awe  to 
them.  With  the  possession  of  high  position, 
of  wealth,  and  of  social  prestige,  went  also 
most  grave  and  solemn  responsibility.  Turn- 
ing to  Prince  Hagen,  the  archbishop  pointed 
out  to  him  that  what  he  had  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  see  of  American  customs  and  ways 
should  be  an  experience  of  deep  effect  upon 
all  his  after  life.  The  Almighty  would  as- 
suredly not  rest  content  with  less  than  the  full 
measure  of  beneficent  effort  on  his  part,  in 
return  for  the  wealth  and  opportunities  with 
which  he  had  been  favoured.  The  responses 
of  Prince  Hagen  were  uttered  in  a  clear,  dis- 
tinct tone.  The  bride's  voice  shook,  but  she 


PRINCE     HAGEN  215 

spoke  with  touching  dignity,  which  was  noted 
by  the  hearers,"  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

I  stopped  there;  I  did  not  care  to  peruse 
the  three  or  four  columns  of  this  kind  of  thing 
that  followed.  Neither  did  I  care  to  pursue 
further  with  my  companion  the  subject  of  his 
marriage;  for  several  minutes  we  sat  in  si- 
lence, he  gazing  in  front  of  him  meditatively. 
At  last,  when  the  silence  was  growing  awk- 
ward, I  brought  up  another  subject. 

"  I  notice  things  in  the  papers  about  your 
financial  advance,"  I  said;  "  the  battle  is  ap- 
parently on." 

"  It  is,"  said  he,  smiling  suddenly.  "  I 
began  a  week  ago,  the  same  day  that  I  got 
the  last  of  my  treasures  up  from  Nibelheim." 

"Gracious  heavens!"  I  gasped,  staring  at 
him.  "  You  mean  that  you  have  emptied  that 
huge  cave  of  gold?  " 

"  I  do,"  said  he,  calmly. 

"And  how  much  did  it  come  to?" 

Prince  Hagen  slowly  closed  one  eye,  but 
said  nothing. 

"  And  is  it  all  invested  yet?  "  I  asked. 

"  Not  the  thousandth  part  of  it,"  was  his 
reply.  "  I  am  putting  in  a  few  millions  each 


216  PRINCE     HAGEN 

day,"  he  added  afterward.  "  There  is  no 
hurry,  you  know." 

"  You  are  creating  tremendous  excitement," 
I  said ;  "  the  papers  seem  to  be  full  of  the 
Wall  Street  rumours." 

"It  is  nothing  as  yet,"  he  said;  "wait 
awhile.  Prices  will  be  double  what  they  are 
now  in  a  few  days." 

"  And  then  you'll  stop  and  let  them  settle, 
I  suppose?  "  I  remarked. 

"No,"  said  he,  "why  should  I?" 

"  Do  you  not  care  to  buy  as  cheaply  as  you 
can?" 

"  Yes,  of  course,"  was  the  answer;  "  if  the 
market  gets  panicky,  I  shall  stop  and  wait 
for  the  air  to  clear.  But  I  cannot  help  per- 
manently raising  prices  at  each  move;  I  am 
constantly  unloading  masses  of  gold  on  the 
world,  and  its  value  must  therefore  fall.  My 
best  plan,  it  seems  to  me,  is  to  sell  quickly, 
before  the  world  catches  on  to  the  trick,  so 
to  speak  —  before  the  balance  has  time  to 
adjust  itself." 

I  gave  up  the  argument,  for  I  am  not  a 
political  economist;  my  companion  smiled 
benignly.  "  I  may  have  to  quit  from  time  to 
time,"  he  went  on;  "  the  first  chance  I  get  I 


PRINCE     HAGEN  217 

am  going  to  take  a  trip.    I  was  going  to  hunt 
you  up  and  see  if  you  wouldn't  like  to  go  with 


me." 


"Where  to?"  I  asked,  in  some  wonder. 

"  I'm  going  back  to  Nibelheim,"  he  re- 
plied. 

He  saw  that  I  was  interested.  "  I  will  tell 
you  all  about  it,"  he  said.  "  I  believe  I  told 
you  once  before  that  I  intended  to  civilise  the 
place." 

"  You  said  something  about  it,"  I  re- 
sponded, "  but  pray  explain." 

Prince  Hagen  sat  for  a  moment,  smoking 
meditatively,  his  eyes  fixed  upon  me.  "  Tell 
me,"  he  asked  at  last,  "  suppose  you  were  to 
be  given  an  opportunity  to  reform  Nibelheim, 
to  teach  those  blind,  wretched  creatures  to 
love  beauty  and  virtue;  would  you  like  to  do 
it?" 

"  It  would  depend,"  I  said,  "  upon  what 
was  your  reason  for  inviting  me." 

"  My  reason?  "  said  the  other.  "  What  has 
that  to  do  with  it?  Virtue  is  virtue,  is  it  not? 
no  matter  what  I  think  of  it." 

"  Yes,  very  certainly,"  I  said. 

"And  virtue  is  its  own  reward?"  he 
queried,  gravely. 


218  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  Perhaps  so,"  I  replied. 

"  I  think  myself  that  is  why  it  is  so  scarce," 
said  Prince  Hagen.  Afterward  he  went  on  in 
a  more  serious  tone. 

"Listen  to  me  now,"  he  said;  "I  am  in 
dead  earnest.  I  should  not  make  any  condi- 
tions with  you,  and  you  would  not  have  any- 
thing to  fear  from  me.  You  believe  in  all 
your  idealisms,  even  though  they  smash  the 
ship;  so  why  not  go  ahead  and  teach  them 
in  Nibelheim?  You  surely  must  consider  it  a 
shame  that  those  helpless  creatures  live  there 
in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  know  nothing 
better  to  do  than  to  dig  gold  all  their  lives.  Is 
is  possible  that  you  would  refuse  to  teach 
them  to  look  to  things  higher?  Would  you 
not  like,  for  instance,  to  begin  at  the  begin- 
ning —  to  clean  out  their  homes,  to  teach  them 
to  love  fresh  air,  and  to  build  beautiful 
houses?  Would  you  not  like  to  send  their 
children  to  school,  and  have  them  taught  to 
read?  Would  you  not  like  to  make  them 
learn  to  love  music  and  poetry,  to  introduce 
the  study  of  literature  there?  Would  you  not 
like  to  have  your  own  books  published  and 
read  by  the  Nibelungs?  Can  it  be  that  your 
heart  would  not  be  stirred  by  the  possibility 


PRINCE     HAGEN  219 

of  inspiring  a  whole  new  race  with  your  lofty 
aspirations  —  with  being  actually  able  to  gov- 
ern them,  and  teach  them,  and  make  them 
whatever  you  chose?" 

The  argument  was  very  subtle;  but  I  did 
not  reply. 

"  Let  us  put  the  whole  thing  in  a  nutshell," 
said  the  other,  suddenly.  "  Understand,  in 
the  first  place,  that  I  am  quite  serious,  and 
that,  if  you  do  not  go,  I  shall  only  have  to 
offer  the  chance  to  some  one  else.  Down 
there  is  a  whole  race  of  creatures  who  dwell 
like  animals  in  a  burrow;  they  lived  a  thou- 
sand years  ago  just  as  they  are  living  now, 
and  they  will  live  almost  certainly  in  the 
same  way  a  thousand  years  to  come.  Their 
lives  are  absolutely  without  meaning  or  use; 
they  care  nothing  about  beauty;  they  think 
nothing  about  growth;  no  one  of  them  has 
any  thought  but  of  his  own  wretched,  deluded 
self.  And  yet  these  people  have  minds,  they 
might  be  made  to  see;  they  have  souls,  they 
might  be  taught  to  worship;  they  have  not 
only  their  physical  strength,  which  might  be 
of  use,  but  they  have  vast  stores  of  wealth 
which  might  become  a  power  for  good.  You 
have  seen  all  these  things  yourself,  and  you 


220  PRINCE     HAGEN 

know  that  I  speak  the  truth;  and  when  I  tell 
you  that  I  mean  to  devote  myself  to  the  civ- 
ilising and  developing  of  these  people,  and 
that  I  ask  for  your  help,  can  you  refuse  to 
give  it?  Supposing  that  I  once  convinced 
you  that  my  determination  was  real,  that  the 
civilisation  I  wanted  was  real  civilisation, 
that  as  teacher  of  the  moralities  I  would  rec- 
ognise your  authority  entirely,  and  give  you 
a  free  hand  to  do  just  what  you  saw  fit,  would 
you  not  feel  that  to  come  with  me  was  your 
solemn  duty?  " 

"  You  have  perhaps  your  own  reasons  for 
wanting  this  civilising  done?"  I  suggested. 

"  I  am  not  doing  any  shamming,"  replied 
Prince  Hagen ;  "  obviously  I  have  my  own 
reasons;  but  what  has  that  to  do  with  it? 
You  and  I  hold  different  views  as  to  the  na- 
ture and  use  of  virtue;  but  we  are  certainly 
of  entirely  one  mind  in  our  agreement  as  to 
its  importance.  And  you  seem  to  me  to  hold 
your  view  with  perfect  knowledge  of  the  facts 
of  the  world  about  you ;  you  see  that  the  conse- 
quences of  your  trying  to  be  unselfish  are  that 
you  get  left  on  all  the  good  things  of  life; 
and  still  you  swear  by  unselfishness.  You  cry 
aloud  to  all  men  that  they  must  do  right 


PRINCE     HAGEN  221 

though  the  heavens  fall.  Do  you  mean  that? 
Or  is  your  preaching  all  a  sham?  are  you 
really  in  your  heart  afraid  to  follow  your  doc- 
trine? Let  us  grant  for  the  sake  of  argument 
that  the  consequence  of  educating  and  elevat- 
ing the  Nibelungs,  of  teaching  them  to  love 
beauty  and  virtue,  would  be  that  they  were 
deprived  of  all  the  stores  of  wealth  they  have, 
and  were  forced  to  labour  at  getting  more  for 
a  wicked  capitalist  like  me,  would  it  not  still 
be  true,  according  to  your  view  of  life,  that 
it  would  be  better  the  change  should  take 
place?" 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  it  undoubtedly  would." 
"  Ah,"  said  Prince  Hagen,  quickly,  "  then 
you  will  come  and  uplift  them?  " 

"  No,"  I  answered,  "  I  very  certainly  shall 


not." 


"  And  why  not?  "  he  demanded. 

"  I  have  very  weighty  reasons,"  I  re- 
sponded, gravely,  "  for  doubting  the  perfecti- 
bility of  the  Nibelungs." 

The  other  looked  at  me;  I  chose  to  appear 
very  deep,  and  so  I  did  not  smile.  There  was 
a  long  silence,  so  long  that  Prince  Hagen's 
cigar  went  out;  and  then  finally  he  observed, 


222  PRINCE     HAGEN 

earnestly:  "  That  is  the  one  clever  thing  I 
have  ever  heard  you  say  in  my  life." 

Again  there  was  a  pause ;  I  did  not  choose 
to  risk  my  reputation  by  a  second  venture. 
But  after  my  host  had  relighted  his  cigar  and 
recovered  his  ease,  I  said: 

"  Count  me  out  of  your  scheme,  Prince 
Hagen,  for  I  have  too  many  other  plans.  But 
tell  me  something  about  it ;  what  do  you  mean 
to  do?" 

"  IVe  been  thinking  it  over,"  he  answered, 
"  and  I  think  the  best  way  that  I  can  manage 
what  I  want  is  to  take  a  few  priests  down 
to  Nibelheim,  and  introduce  the  Catholic  re- 
ligion. Catholicism  goes  best  with  monarchy, 
you  know;  if  you  only  let  the  priests  have  the 
souls,  you  may  do  whatever  you  like  with  the 
bodies." 

"  Pray,  how  do  you  know  so  much  about 
it?  "  I  asked,  smiling  slightly. 

"I?"  echoed  the  other.  "Did  you  not 
know  I  am  a  Catholic? " 

"For  Heaven's  sake,  no!"  I  exclaimed; 
"  I  was  wondering  about  your  wedding  ar- 
rangements. Since  when  is  this?  " 

"  Since  I  joined  Tammany  Hall,"  was  the 
answer.  "  I  never  do  things  half-way.  And 


PRINCE     HAGEN  223 

I  had  a  good  father  explain  the  system  to  me. 
He  said  that  I  would  get  immortality  if  I 
believed  in  it ;  I  think  that  I  should  have  de- 
served it." 

Prince  Hagen  paused  for  a  moment  and 
puffed  in  silence;  then  suddenly  he  re- 
marked :  "  Do  you  know  that  it  is  a  very  won- 
derful idea,  —  that  immortality?  D,id  you 
ever  think  about  it?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  a  little." 

"  I  tell  you,  the  man  who  got  that  up  was  a 
world-genius,"  observed  the  other.  "When 
I  saw  how  it  worked,  it  was  something  almost 
too  much  for  me  to  believe,  and  still  I  find 
myself  wondering  if  it  can  last.  For  you 
know  if  you  can  once  get  a  man  believing  in 
immortality,  there  is  no  more  left  for  you  to 
desire;  you  can  take  everything  in  the  world 
he  owns  —  you  can  skin  him  alive  if  it  pleases 
you  —  and  he  will  bear  it  all  with  perfect 
good  humour.  I  tell  you  what,  I  lie  awake  at 
nights  and  dream  about  the  chances  of  getting 
the  Nibelungs  to  believe  in  immortality;  I 
don't  think  I  can  manage  it,  but  it  is  a  stake 
worth  playing  for.  I  say  the  phrases  over  to 
myself  —  you  know  them  all  —  *  It  is  better 
to  give  than  to  receive '  —  '  Lay  not  up  for 


224  PRINCE     HAGEN 

yourselves  treasures  on  earth  '  — '  Take  no 
heed,  saying  what  shall  ye  eat! '  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  I  fancy  the  Nibelungs  will  prove 
pretty  tough  at  reforming,  but  it  is  worth  any 
amount  of  labour.  Suppose  I  could  ever  get 
them  to  the  self-renouncing  point!  Just 
fancy  the  self-renunciation  of  a  man  with  a 
seventy-mile  tunnel  full  of  gold!" 

Prince  Hagen's  eyes  danced;  his  face  was 
a  study.  I  watched  him  wonderingly.  "  Why 
do  you  go  to  all  that  bother?  "  I  demanded, 
suddenly.  "  If  you  want  the  gold,  why  don't 
you  simply  kill  the  Nibelungs  and  take  it?  " 

"  I  have  thought  of  that,"  he  replied;  "  I 
might  easily  manage  it  all  with  a  single  re- 
volver. But  why  should  I  kill  the  geese  that 
lay  me  golden  eggs?  I  want  not  only  the  gold 
they  have,  but  the  gold  that  they  will  dig 
through  the  centuries  that  are  to  come,  for  I 
know  that  the  resources  of  Nibelheim,  if  they 
could  only  be  properly  developed,  would  be 
simply  infinite.  So  I  have  made  up  my  mind 
to  civilise  the  people  and  develop  their  souls." 

"  Explain  to  me  just  how  you  expect  to  get 
their  gold,"  I  said. 

"  I  expect  to  get  it  just  as  I  get  it  in  New 
York,"  was  the  response.  "  At  present  they 


PRINCE     HAGEN  225 

hide  their  wealth  in  holes ;  I  mean  to  broaden 
their  minds,  and  establish  a  system  of  credit. 
I  mean  to  teach  them  ideals  of  usefulness  and 
service,  to  establish  the  arts  and  sciences,  to 
introduce  machinery  and  all  the  modern  im- 
provements that  tend  to  increase  the  central- 
isation of  power;  I  shall  be  master  —  just 
as  I  am  here  —  because  I  am  the  strongest, 
and  because  I  am  not  a  dupe." 

"  I  see,"  I  said ;  "  but  all  this  will  take  a 
long  time." 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  I  know;  it  is  the  whole 
course  of  history  to  be  lived  over  again.  But 
there  will  be  no  mistakes  and  no  groping  in 
this  case,  for  I  know  the  way,  and  I  am  king. 
It  will  be  a  sort  of  benevolent  despotism  — 
the  ideal  form  of  government,  as  I  believe." 

"  And  you  are  sure  there  is  no  chance  of 
your  plans  failing?  " 

"Failing!"  he  laughed.  "You  should 
have  seen  how  they  have  worked  so  far." 

"  You  have  begun  applying  them?  " 

"  I  have  been  down  to  Nibelheim  twice 
since  the  death  of  dear  grandpa,"  said  the 
prince.  "  The  first  time,  as  you  imagine, 
there  was  tremendous  excitement,  for  all  Ni- 
belheim knew  what  a  bad  person  I  had  been, 


226  PRINCE     HAGEN 

and  stood  in  deadly  terror  of  my  return. 
They  had  a  few  hopes,  of  course,  for  Alberich 
had  spread  the  news  of  my  journey  to  the 
world  to  be  reformed;  but  I  fancy  most  of 
them  thought  they  were  doomed.  I  got  them 
all  together  and  told  them  the  truth  —  that 
I  had  become  wise  and  virtuous,  that  I  meant 
to  respect  every  man's  property,  and  that  I 
meant  to  consecrate  my  whole  endeavour  to 
the  developing  of  the  resources  of  my  native 
land.  And  then  you  should  have  witnessed 
the  scene!  They  went  half  wild  with  rejoic- 
ing; they  fell  down  on  their  knees  and 
thanked  me  with  tears  in  their  eyes;  I  played 
the  Pater  Patrite  in  a  fashion  to  take  away 
your  breath.  And  afterward  I  went  on  to 
explain  to  them  that  I  had  discovered  very 
many  wonderful  things  up  on  the  earth;  that 
I  was  going  to  make  a  law  forbidding  any  of 
them  to  go  there,  because  it  was  so  dangerous, 
but  that  I  myself  was  going  to  brave  all  the 
perils  for  their  sakes.  I  said  that  there  were 
many  wonderful  things  known  to  the  earth- 
men  which  I  meant  to  teach  them;  first  of 
all,  I  told  them  about  a  wonderful  animal 
that  was  called  a  steam-drill,  and  that  ate  fire, 
and  dug  out  gold  with  swiftness  beyond  any- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  227 

thing  they  could  imagine.  I  said  that  I  was 
going  to  empty  all  my  royal  treasure  caves, 
and  take  my  fortune  and  some  of  theirs  to  the 
earth  to  buy  a  few  thousand  of  those  wonder- 
ful creatures;  and  I  promised  them  that  I 
would  give  them  to  the  Nibelungs  to  use,  and 
they  might  have  twice  as  much  gold  as  they 
would  have  dug  with  their  hands,  provided 
they  would  give  me  the  balance.  Of  course 
they  agreed  to  it  with  shouts  of  delight,  and 
the  contracts  were  signed  then  and  there. 
They  helped  me  get  out  all  my  gold,  and  I 
took  them  down  the  steam-drills,  and  showed 
them  how  to  manage  them;  so  before  very 
long  I  expect  to  have  quite  a  snug  little  in- 


come." 


Prince  Hagen  paused  and  knocked  the 
ashes  from  his  cigar.  "  What  do  you  think 
about  that?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  wish  you  joy,"  I  said. 

"  You  still  don't  think  you'd  like  to  come 
help?"  he  inquired,  mildly. 

"  No,"  I  said,  "  I  don't  think  so." 

"You  might  be  high  priest  to  all  Nibel- 
heim,"  said  Hagen;  "it  would  be  a  paying 
position." 


228  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"No;  I'm  sorry,  but  I  have  other  things 
to  do." 

"  It  all  comes  to  the  same  thing  in  the 
end,"  he  observed.  "  I  had  as  soon  you  stayed 
here  to  strengthen  your  own  people  in  their 
moral  ideas.  There  is  a  time  of  trouble  com- 
ing, you  know,  when  I  get  my  hands  on  things. 
I  promise  you  the  world  will  be  managed  dif- 
ferently from  the  way  it  is  just  now.  When 
there  is  no  more  competition,  men  will  have 
to  work  for  what  they  can  get;  and  then  there 
will  be  no  more  extravagant  and  empty  dis- 
play on  the  part  of  the  rich,  I  can  assure  you. 
If  I  do  not  turn  their  Fifth  Avenue  mansions 
into  lodging-houses,  it  will  be  because  my 
plans  miscarry." 

"  You  will  leave  just  one  for  yourself?  "  I 
inquired. 

"  Oh,  no,"  he  said,  easily,  "  I  have  decided 
to  build  my  mansion  in  Central  Park." 

"  Perhaps,"  I  suggested,  "  you  have  not 
always  remembered  that  you  live  in  a  re- 
public." 

"  I  live  in  a  country,"  was  the  answer, 
"  where  the  power  that  rules  is  money;  where 
the  man  who  has  money  may  have  whatever 
else  he  will." 


PRINCE     HAGEN  229 

"  I  have  some  doubts  of  it,"  replied  I ; 
"  you  may  find  public  opinion  troublesome ; 
you  may  be  hampered  by  the  law." 

"  I  will  bribe  the  voters,"  was  the  response. 

"  But  if  the  opposition  becomes  too 
strong?  " 

"  Then  I  will  buy  the  legislators,"  answered 
Hagen,  and  laughed. 

"  That  is  all  very  well,"  I  exclaimed,  im- 
patiently; "but  if  you  intend  to  subject  all 
civilisation  to  your  will,  and  to  make  all  men 
your  slaves,  you  will  waken  in  the  end  a  power 
of  rage  that  nothing  can  withstand.  You  will 
suddenly  find  laws  passed  to  deprive  you  of 
your  wealth  all  at  once." 

"  Ah,  yes,"  laughed  my  companion,  "  in 
that  case  I  will  call  for  assistance  upon  you." 

"Upon  me!"  I  gasped. 

"  Upon  you,  of  course,  and  upon  all  other 
moralists  —  upon  all  who  believe  in  public 
honesty,  and  in  the  sanctity  of  property;  upon 
all  who  respect  the  deep  fact  of  morality, 
that  it  is  better  to  suffer  any  evil  than  to  soil 
one's  conscience;  upon  all  decent  people;  in 
short,  upon  all  who  have  learned  God's  com- 
mand, '  Thou  shalt  not  steal! '  " 

I  said  nothing;    Prince  Hagen  smoked. 


230  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  Understand  me,"  he  continued,  after  a 
time ;  "  I  am  no  fool,  I  have  seen  all  the  conse- 
quences of  my  actions.  I  know  just  what  must 
be  when  my  work  is  completed,  when  all 
wealth,  all  power,  all  command  is  in  the 
hands  of  one  selfish  man,  and  all  the  rest  of 
men  are  his  slaves,  compelled  to  toil  night 
and  day  for  his  pleasure,  and  receive  a  bare 
existence  in  return.  I  know  that  they  must 
watch  me  in  my  splendour  with  hungry  eyes ; 
and  I  know  that  they  can  be  held  back  from 
it  all  by  nothing  in  the  world  but  one  thing 
-their  conscience!  And  if  I  dare  set  to 
work  to  bring  about  such  a  state  of  affairs,  it 
is  only  because  I  have  come  to  believe  that 
morality  has  been  so  strong  a  habit  with  men 
that  they  will  stand  the  strain.  I  see  the  same 
thing  about  me  now,  you  know,  everywhere 
in  the  world.  Am  I  not  living  in  a  palace 
now?  And  down  on  Hester  Street  are  there 
not  ten  thousand  people  crowded  into  a 
smaller  space?  And  yet  do  they  ever  dream 
that  it  must  not  be  just  so?  Wait  until  the 
time  comes,  and  watch  how  I  make  the  fight! 
If  it  does  not  prove  a  thrilling  spectacle,  it 
will  not  be  my  fault,  I  promise.  You  must, 
of  course,  not  expect  me  to  speak  as  a  cynic, 


PRINCE     HAGEN  231 

as  I  do  now;  I  shall  be  virtuous  and  indig- 
nant; I  shall  say  that  the  interests  of  the 
working  classes  must  be  trusted  to  those  to 
whom  God,  in  his  infinite  wisdom,  has  given 
control  of  the  property  interests  of  the  coun- 
try. I  shall  have  right  and  justice  on  my  side ; 
I  shall  stand  sublime  upon  my  pinnacle  of 
virtue,  crying  that  the  first  man  who  lays 
hands  upon  my  power  is  a  thief,  and  that  the 
government  which  sanctions  him  stands  self- 
perjured  before  the  judgment  throne  of 
heaven.  I  shall  call  all  the  sanctity  of  relig- 
ion to  my  aid,  and  all  the  dreadful  majesty 
of  justice.  And  do  you  think  that  I  shall  not 
find  honest  men  to  stand  by  principle  —  that 
no  prophet  will  arise  to  thunder  against  those 
who  appeal  to  violence  and  fraud?  Who 
knows  but  you  might  be  that  prophet  your- 
self? You  would  recognise  the  fact,  would 
you  not,  that  the  employing  of  violence 
against  me,  or  the  robbing  of  me  with  the 
aid  of  ballots,  would  mean  a  denial  of  the 
moral  law,  and  the  proclamation  of  a  reign 
of  anarchy  and  crime?  " 

I  did  not  attempt  any  response  to  this  elo- 
quent appeal;  I  was  striving  to  conceal  some 
little  agitation. 


232  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  You  do  think  that  my  case  is  hopeless?  " 
asked  Prince  Hagen,  with  feigned  anxiety. 

"  Not  entirely,"  I  said. 

"  And  if  I  fail,"  he  continued,  "  if  I  bring 
down  this  flimsy  Phantasm  Structure  of  a 
civilisation  about  my  ears  —  if  I  reduce  soci- 
ety once  more  to  a  Rousseau  i  state-of-nature,' 
what  difference  will  that  make?  Shall  I  not 
be  Prince  Hagen?  And  Nibelheim  will  per- 
haps be  more  preferable  as  a  dwelling-place 
by  that  time,  anyway;  what  do  you  think?  " 

It  was  hard  for  me  to  realise,  somehow, 
that  all  these  things  were  actual  possibilities 
—  nay,  that  they  were  even  then  beginning 
to  be.  I  was  staring  at  him,  and  he  smiling, 
as  he  watched  the  look  of  perplexity  on  my 
face.  He  was  reclining  in  his  chair,  his  arms 
outstretched  wide ;  his  whole  presence  at  that 
moment  seemed  to  me  to  be  so  much  that  of 
a  demon  that  I  shuddered. 

"  At  any  rate,"  he  said,  his  eyes  gleaming, 
"  there  is  one  thing  very  certain,  that  wher- 
ever I  am,  here  or  in  Nibelheim,  I  shall  al- 
ways be  a  prince;  whatever  there  is  to  rule 
I  shall  rule,  and  rule  it  alone.  I  am  getting 
to  feel  my  wings  in  these  days,  and  to  know 


PRINCE     HAGEN  233 

my  power;  and,  if  any  man  thinks  he  can 
match  it,  let  him  only  come  and  try!" 

And  he  laughed;  he  had  gotten  up  sud- 
denly from  his  chair,  and  was  standing  before 
me ;  then,  as  he  continued  to  gaze  at  my  face 
of  anxiety  and  wonder,  he  put  his  arms  on  his 
hips,  and  bent  over  and  began  to  shake  with 
laughter. 

"Idealist!"  he  chuckled.  "Ha,  ha,  ha! 
Idealist!  Tell  me,  have  you  nothing  at  all  to 
say  about  it?  " 

I  had  nothing  at  all. 

"  And  you  will  write  your  sublimities  still 
—  with  never  a  doubt?  "  he  inquired.  "  And 
be  just  as  altruistic  and  enthusiastic  and  gen- 
erally seraphic?  I  ought  not,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  to  tell  you  all  these  things,  for  they  shake 
your  faith;  and  you  have  the  makings  of  a 
moralist  in  you,  I  think;  you  might  influence 
many  people  to  love  meekness  and  unselfish- 
ness. I  must  cherish  and  encourage  every 
influence  of  that  sort  I  can  find,  you  know." 

There  was  a  long  pause  after  that;  I  sat 
with  my  eyes  fixed  upon  the  Nibelung,  and 
he  with  his  mocking  laugh  returned  the  gaze. 
I  had  never  attempted  to  answer  his  argu- 


234  PRINCE     HAGEN 

ments  before,  but  just  then,  as  I  sat  there,  a 
striking  thought  came  to  my  mind. 

"  Prince  Hagen,"  I  said,  suddenly,  "  would 
you  like  me  to  tell  you  one  of  those  instances 
of  virtue  such  as  you  are  seeking?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  "  by  all  means.  Go 
ahead." 

"  It  happened  many  hundred  years  ago,"  I 
said,  "  but  its  influence  is  none  the  less  potent 
for  that,  and  you  might  find  it  useful  in  case 
of  need.  It  was  one  of  those  men  whom  you 
call  moralists,  one  who  believed  with  all  his 
soul  that  this  morality  came  from  God,  and 
that  it  was  more  precious  than  many  king- 
doms. He  gave  all  his  life  to  teaching  it,  to 
practising  love  and  meekness;  and  in  the  end 
he  allowed  himself  to  be  crucified,  that  he 
might  attest  his  faith  in  his  message." 

"  Such  instances  are  very  curious,"  ob- 
served Prince  Hagen,  as  I  paused.  "  I  have 
heard  of  them." 

"  This  man  founded  a  great  religion,"  I 
said ;  "  you  have  heard  of  him,  too." 

"  Ah,  yes,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  why  do  you 
tell  me  about  him  now?  " 

"  I  was  going  to  tell  you  one  of  the  sayings 
that  tradition  puts  into  his  mouth,"  I  an- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  235 

swered.  "  It  is  a  little  story,  a  very  curious 
one,  and  one  that  I  am  certain  you  would 
find  useful  in  your  attempts  to  impress  upon 
other  men  the  fact  of  the  vanity  of  riches." 

"Ah,"  said  Prince  Hagen,  "that  is  good; 
let  us  hear  it." 

I  sat  for  a  few  moments  gazing  at  him; 
then  I  said: 

" ( The  ground  of  a  certain  rich  man 
brought  forth  plentifully: 

"  '  And  he  thought  within  himself,  saying, 
What  shall  I  do,  because  I  have  no  room 
where  to  bestow  my  fruits? 

"'And  he  said,  This  will  I  do:  I  will 
pull  down  my  barns  and  build  greater;  and 
there  will  I  bestow  all  my  fruits  and  my 
goods. 

"  '  And  I  will  say  to  my  soul,  Soul,  thou 
hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years; 
take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry. 

"  '  But  God  said  unto  him,  Thou  fool,  this 
night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee:  then 
whose  shall  those  things  be,  which  thou  hast 
provided?'" 

And  I  stopped;  Prince  Hagen  stood  still, 
staring  at  me. 


236  PRINCE     HAGEN 

"  Is  it  not  an  interesting  story?  "  I  asked, 
gravely. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  "  very."  And  then  he 
stretched  his  arms,  and  forced  a  laugh.  "  It 
makes  me  thankful  that  I  am  a  Nibelung," 
he  said,  "  and  have  thousands  of  years  to  live." 

"  Are  you  very  certain  that  you  have  so 
many?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Fairly,"  he  responded,  laughing. 

"  Have  you  never  thought  that  perhaps, 
while  you  are  crushing  all  civilisation  with 
gold,  some  fanatic  might  take  the  law  into 
his  own  hands?  Have  you  never  thought  that 
even  now  some  unexpected  sickness,  some 
accident  —  " 

"Oh,  come,  come!"  exclaimed  he,  impa- 
tiently, "  you  are  talking  nonsense]  " 

And  I  stopped;  he  seemed  a  little  angry. 
A  moment  later  he  took  out  his  jewelled 
watch  and  glanced  at  it;  I  took  the  hint. 

"It  must  be  getting  late,"  I  said,  rising; 
"  it  must  be  near  the  hour  of  your  wedding." 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  it  is." 

"  Forgive  me  for  taking  your  time,"  I  put 
in. 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right,"  he  said,  condescend- 
ingly; "  I  could  spare  it." 


PRINCE     HAGEN  237 

"  And  forgive  me  for  disturbing  your 
peace  of  mind;  I  regret  - 

Prince  Hagen  waved  his  hand.  "  It  is 
nothing,"  he  said;  and  then,  laughing  with 
his  usual  carelessness,  he  escorted  me  to  the 
door  of  the  apartment  and  opened  it. 

A  tall  attendant  stood  there,  and  took  me 
under  his  charge.  "  Good  morning,"  said  the 
host,  as  I  started;  and  then  he  added  to  the 
servant,  "  The  carriage  in  ten  minutes." 

Afterward  I  heard  him  close  the  door,  and 
I  followed  the  man  down  the  broad  hallway. 
I  had  much  to  think  of,  but  I  could  not  for- 
bear to  gaze  about  me  at  the  wondrous  place, 
at  the  magnificent  tapestries  and  paintings, 
the  floors  of  rare  and  wondrous  marbles,  the 
long  rows  of  jewelled  vases  of  gold,  gleaming 
in  the  sunlight.  So  I  passed  down  the  great 
staircase,  and  to  the  hall  below,  which  shone 
like  a  vision  from  the  Arabian  Nights;  I 
paused  for  a  moment  to  gaze  at  the  marvellous 
Coronation  Cup,  with  its  groups  of  sea- 
nymphs  and  Tritons  supporting  a  jewelled 
crown;  and  then  I  passed  on  to  the  grated 
door,  and  so  out  into  the  street.  I  heard  the 
barriers  clang  behind  me,  and  I  took  a  deep 
breath  of  the  fresh  air. 


238  PRINCE     HAGEN 

The  way  was  blocked  tight  with  a  staring 
crowd,  but  I  forced  myself  through  and  went 
on  down  the  avenue.  I  felt  pretty  much  as  a 
man  in  a  dream;  for  I  had  not  yet  realised 
the  fearful  things  that  Hagen  had  told  me; 
it  seemed  a  nightmare,  a  phantasy  of  my  own 
brain.  I  whispered  to  myself  again  and 
again :  "  Can  it  be  true  that  this  man  will 
master  all  society  —  that  he  will  turn  all  the 
vast  machinery  of  human  progress  to  his  de- 
mon's use?"  I  thought  of  what  he  had  al- 
ready done,  and  I  shuddered;  the  form  of 
him  loomed  up  before  me,  like  some  giant 
spectre  overshadowing  my  soul. 

"It  is  a  ghastly  thing!"  I  whispered. 
"  What  can  one  do  against  this  power  of  evil? 
Must  the  world  always  be  at  the  mercy  of  the 
wild  beast  of  selfishness?  must  high  and 
sacred  things  be  always  the  prey  of  brute 
force  and  cunning?  " 

In  general,  I  do  not  torture  myself  with 
images  of  evil ;  but  just  then  they  were  forced 
upon  me,  and  my  being  writhed  at  this  sight 
of  black  injustice  enthroned  and  defiant. 
"  What  can  be  done?  "  I  exclaimed  to  myself. 
"  What  can  be  done?  This  man  is  master  of 
everything,  or  will  be;  and  who  can  over- 


PRINCE     HAGEN  239 

throw  him?  I,  and  others,  who  are  labouring 
for  art  and  beauty,  have  scarce  bread  enough 
to  put  in  our  mouths ;  and  the  wealth  of  men, 
the  labour  of  millions,  that  might  be  of  sacred 
use,  must  go  for  the  glory  of  this  wretch!  He 
stands  there  upon  the  pinnacle  of  his  power, 
and  mocks  at  all  opposition;  is  there  nothing 
left  for  faith  to  do  but  cry  out  in  despair  and 
rage?  Of  what  use  is  it  that  a  man  strives 
for  the  high  gifts  of  the  soul,  when  all  the 
world  is  filled  with  the  wonder  of  such  things 
as  these  —  when  Hagen  and  Hagen's  power 
and  Hagen's  glory  are  the  talk  of  all,  the  ideal 
of  all?" 

And  so  I  went  on,  not  heeding  where  I 
walked,  or  what  passed  about  me;  my  soul 
was  swallowed  up  in  bitterness  and  hate,  a 
mood  that  I  suppose  all  true  men  must  some- 
times know.  I  saw  nothing  to  do  but  live 
apart  like  a  Timon,  and  let  the  world  worship 
its  own  idols,  and  be  of  the  devil  quite  alto- 
gether as  it  chose.  I  thought  of  the  press  — 
I  thought  of  the  politicians  —  I  thought  of 
the  "  elite "  and  their  inanities  —  and  it 
seemed  as  if  God's  fair  earth  had  all  at  once 
become  a  carnival  of  apes. 

"  Let  him  master  them,"  I  muttered,  "  and 


240  PRINCE     HAGEN 

let  them  serve  him,  just  as  he  says  they  shall. 
What  difference  will  it  make?  He  is  a  devil; 
but  is  he  any  worse  than  the  people  who  gape 
at  him  and  toady  to  him?  He  happens  to  be 
the  victor  of  the  moment  in  this  miserable 
jangle  of  vanities.  He  stands  now  at  the  sum- 
mit of  his  triumph,  knowing  that  he  is  secure, 
and  mocking  at  man  and  at  God  —  " 

And  then  suddenly  I  came  out  of  my  rev- 
erie with  a  start;  I  was  still  on  the  busy 
avenue,  amid  the  noise  of  eager  crowds  and 
hurrying  vehicles ;  but  my  attention  had  been 
suddenly  caught  by  a  loud  shout  that  rang 
above  them  all.  I  stared  for  a  moment,  taken 
at  a  loss;  and  then,  as  the  cries  grew  more 
frequent,  I  saw  that  people  were  pointing  up 
the  street  in  the  direction  from  which  I  had 
come.  I  turned,  and  then  gazed,  transfixed 
with  sudden  alarm. 

Some  four  or  five  blocks  up  the  avenue 
there  was  a  commotion  apparent  among  the 
crowded  vehicles;  they  were  scattering  to 
right  and  left  in  confusion,  amid  cries  of 
warning  from  the  throng  of  people.  A  mo- 
ment later  I  saw  a  carriage  come  through 
tne  space  thus  opened,  drawn  by  two  horses 
that  were  galloping  like  the  wind.  It  was 


PRINCE     HAGEN  241 

evident  in  a  second  that  they  were  running 
away;  and  pandemonium  reigned.  Coach- 
men turned  their  teams  into  side  streets,  shout- 
ing as  they  lashed  their  horses;  others  drove 
upon  the  sidewalks,  while  the  crowd  scattered 
in  every  direction,  men  leaping  over  railings, 
and  women  and  children  seeking  refuge  upon 
the  steps  of  dwellings. 

There  was  a  horse  in  the  middle  of  the 
street  that  had  taken  alarm  and  become  un- 
manageable; I  rushed  with  several  others  to 
seize  the  bridle  and  force  it  to  one  side,  the 
cries  in  the  meantime  becoming  more  and 
more  a  bedlam.  A  policeman  flashed  by  me 
on  a  bicycle,  riding  at  full  speed  and  sending 
a  warning  shout  ahead.  And  in  the  mean- 
time the  team  of  runaways  came  nearer  and 
nearer,  until  I  could  hear  the  rattle  of  their 
hoofs  upon  the  pavement. 

Somehow  or  other  the  crowd  got  the  refrac- 
tory horse  to  one  side;  I  gave  a  swift  glance 
down  the  broad  avenue,  and  saw  that  it  was 
clear  for  a  block  or  two  more,  and  then  I 
turned  to  look  again  at  the  approaching 
horses. 

They  made  a  thrilling  picture;   they  were 


242  PRINCE     HA  GEN 

only  about  two  blocks  away  at  that  moment, 
and  racing  like  mad ;  behind  them  there  was  a 
driving  cart  swaying  from  side  to  side.  I  saw 
one  figure  in  it,  and  I  whispered  in  terror, 
"  God  help  him!  "  And  then  suddenly  I  bent 
down,  leaning  forward  and  staring,  my  eyes 
starting  from  my  head.  I  caught  at  a  lamp- 
post, and  then  all  at  once  gave  a  shout  that 
rang  out  above  all  the  noise  and  excitement. 
I  had  noticed  the  horses,  that  they  were  chest- 
nut in  colour;  and  then  as  they  came  a  little 
nearer  I  had  recognised  them  —  recognised 
it  all  —  the  red  driving-cart,  and  the  black 
figure,  and  the  madly  galloping  team.  They 
were  the  Persian  horses!  It  was  Prince 
Hagen! 

Men  had  heard  my  shout,  and  they  stared 
more  wildly  than  ever.  And  meantime  the 
horses  were  plunging  frantically  on,  gallop- 
ing, galloping,  galloping,  their  hoofs  beating 
sharp  thunder  on  the  pavement.  They  were 
wild  horses  anyway,  lithe,  trembling  thor- 
oughbreds; and  now  they  were  stretched  out 
in  fierce  race,  necks  extended,  nostrils  quiv- 
ering, eyes  red  and  staring  in  terror.  The 
reins  were  loose,  flapping  madly  about  their 


PRINCE     HAGEN  243 

legs,  causing  new  and  new  exertion.  It  was 
like  standing  by  a  track  and  watching  an  ex- 
press-train sweep  up  with  ever-increasing 
speed  and  rattle.  The  carriage  swayed  and 
rocked,  and  the  people  screamed  in  fear;  for 
there  upon  the  seat  —  alone  and  helpless,  and 
wholly  paralysed  with  terror  —  sat  a  man,  a 
small,  black-clad  figure  crouching  upon  the 
seat,  clutching  the  rail  with  convulsive  grip, 
and  staring  ahead  with  dilated  eyes,  —  Prince 
Hagen !  B^ro 

My  cry  had  been  passed  on,  and  the  street 
rang  with  it:  "  Prince  Hagen!  Prince  Ha- 
gen!" And  meanwhile  nearer  and  nearer! 
So  long  as  I  live  I  shall  never  forget  that  face 
—  the  face  of  that  lord  of  millions  and  master 
of  men,  whirling  onward  in  mad  race,  bent 
forward  and  with  set  teeth,  his  hair  flying 
backward,  and  his  face  as  white  as  paper. 
And  so  he  shot  by  like  a  flash  of  light,  the 
horses  panting  and  the  vehicle  rocking  in 
delirious  nightmare  dance.  And  an  instant 
later  came  a  shrill  scream  from  it,  and  a  shout 
from  a  thousand  throats.  A  man  had  leaped 
out  to  stop  the  horses,  and,  quick  as  lightning, 
they  had  swerved  in  alarm.  The  crowd  scat- 


244  PRINCE     H  A  G  E  N 

tered  on  the  pavement,  and  an  instant  later, 
with  a  fierce,  sickening  crash,  the  carriage 
hurled  itself  against  a  lamp-post.  I  saw  the 
figure  on  the  seat  shoot  forward  like  an  arrow 
through  the  air,  and  I  heard  the  thud,  as  it 
crashed  head-first  against  the  stone  corner  of 
a  flight  of  steps. 

Most  of  the  people  stood  still,  sick  with 
horror;  but  one  or  two  bounded  forward. 
They  seized  the  bridles  of  the  plunging 
horses,  and  I  -  - 1  darted  wildly  to  where 
Prince  Hagen  lay.  I  saw  blood  flowing  as 
I  bent  down.  The  man  rolled  over  —  there 
was  a  great  gash  in  his  forehead,  but  he  was 
still  alive.  He  half  raised  himself,  his  hands 
quivering;  there  was  a  look  of  frightful 
struggle  on  his  face,  fierce  pain  and  terror 
battling  in  the  grip  of  death.  His  lips  moved 
once;  he  clutched  wildly  in  the  air;  and  then 
he  gave  a  gasp  and  fell  back.  A  gurgling 
sound  came  from  his  throat,  and  a  great  gush 
of  blood  from  the  open  wound.  One  quiver 
shook  his  frame,  —  and  then  not  a.  motion 
more.  I  gazed  once,  and  then  turned  away 
my  head. 

Prince  Hagen  was  dead! 


PRINCE     HA  GEN 


245 


New  York  Evening  Whirled. 

EXTRA  1  EXTRA ! 

"HAGEN   KILLED!  ! 

PERSIAN  HORSES  RAN  AWAY ! 
JUST  BEFORE  W  E  D  D  I  N  G  1 
FIFTH  AVENUE  CROWDS  HOR- 
RIFIED BY  ACCIDENT  1 

"This  afternoon,  at  ten  min- 
utes past  twelve  o'clock,  just  two 
hours  before  he  was  to  have  been 
married,  Prince  Hagen  was  driv- 
ing down  Fifth  Avenue,  when 
his  famous  team  of  horses  took 
fright  at  an  automobile,  bolted 
down  the  avenue,  and  finally,  at 
the  corner  of  Fortieth  Street,  col- 
lided with  a  passing  ice-wagon, 
throwing  the  prince  from  his 
seat,  and  killing  him  instantly. 
The  accident,  which  was  one  of 
the  most  thrilling  ever  seen  in 
New  York,  was  witnessed  by 
crowds  of  people,  who  thronged 
the  avenue. 

"The  day  was  to  have  been 
the  most  eventful  in  Prince  Ha- 
gen's  life.  All  preparations  for 
the  great  wedding  had  been 
made,  and  all  day  the  happy 
bridegroom  had  been  receiving 
the  congratulations  of  his  friends. 
Just  before  the  catastrophe,  he 
had  been  closeted  with  a  well- 
known  society  leader,  and,  after 
his  friend  took  leave,  he  ordered 
his  horses,  for  what  purpose 
could  not  be  learned.  His  leav- 
ing the  house  was  witnessed  by 
a  crowd  of  people,  who  had  been 
gathered  about  the  building  all 
day. 

"  It  was  noticed  that  the  Per- 
sian horses  were  fiercely  restive ; 


Nei.v   York  Evening  Journey. 

EXTRA!  EXTRA! 

"PRINCE  HAGEN  DEAD  I! 

DREADFUL  ACCIDENT  ON  FIFTH 
AVENUE !  PERSIAN  HORSES 
BOLTED  !  TRAGIC  END  OF  A 
WEDDING-DAY  ! 

"  This  morning,  at  fifteen  min- 
utes to  twelve  o'clock,  almost  at 
the  very  hour  of  his  greatest  joy, 
the  career  of  Prince  Hagen  was 
cut  short  by  the  running  away  of 
his  Persian  horses.  They  broke 
into  a  run  without  any  apparent 
excuse,  crashed  into  the  euro  at 
the  corner  of  Forty-first  Street, 
overturned  the  carriage,  and  in- 
stantly killed  the  prince.  For- 
tunately, the  avenue  was  not 
crowded  at  the  time,  or  yet  more 
ruin  must  have  been  caused  by 
the  maddened  steeds. 

"  All  preparations  for  the  wed- 
ding, the  news  of  which  has  elec- 
trified the  whole  country,  had 
been  completed,  and  Prince  Ha- 
gen was  the  envy  of  all  on  this 
long-expected  day.  Not  five 
minutes  before  the  accident,  he 
had  been  talking  to  a  Journey 
reporter,  to  whom  he  expressed 
his  joy  at  the  coming  event.  He 
then  ordered  his  team  and  passed 
out,  being  cheered  by  the  crowds 
which  have  surrounded  his  man- 
sion at  all  hours  recently. 

"  The  magnificent  horses  gave 
no  sign  of  any  wildness,  and  no 
one  had  the  slightest  warning  of 
the  fearful  calamity  impending 
Prince  Hagen  paused  for  a  mo 
ment  to  stroke  the  heads  of  tht 
beautiful  creatures,  of  which  hv 


246 


PRINCE     HAGEN 


it  was  all  the  groom  could  do  to 
hold  them.  Prince  Hagen,  how- 
ever, showed  no  sign  of  fear, 
but  took  the  reins  at  once  and 
drove  away,  cheered  by  the 
crowd.  The  team  had  gone 
about  ten  blocks  down  the  ave- 
nue, when  an  automobile  whirled 
out  from  a  side  street,  causing 
the  horses  to  shy  in  fright.  At 
the  same  time,  the  reins  in  some 
way  became  entangled,  and  a 
moment  later  the  horses  broke 
into  a  run.  The  groom  at  once 
leaped  to  the  ground,  escaping 
with  a  fractured  collar-bone. 
Prince  Hagen,  however,  pluckily 
held  to  the  reins,  endeavouring 
with  all  his  power  to  stop  the 
maddened  team. 

"  At  no  time  during  the  wild 
ride  that  followed  did  he  lose  his 
head,  but  guided  the  maddened 
creatures  on  their  long  run  down 
the  avenue.  The  race  was 
watched  by  terrified  crowds; 
the  horses  ran  like  the  wind,  the 
driving-cart  swaying  from  side  to 
side.  All  efforts  to  stop  them 
proved  of  no  avail,  and  likewise 
Prince  Hagen's  own  brave  fight 
was  in  vain.  At  Fortieth  Street, 
an  ice-wagon  passed  directly 
across  the  avenue,  and  the  team 
crashed  straight  into  it.  Prince 
Hagen  was  thrown,  falling  into 
the  middle  of  the  street,  and 
fracturing  the  skull  on  the  left 
side.  A  Whirled  reporter  was 
the  first  person  to  reach  him  ;  he 
raised  himself  half-way,  gasping 
'  My  wife ! '  and  then,  with  a 
groan,  he  sunk  back  dead. 

"  The  city  is  electrified  by  the 
tidings  of  the  fearful  calamity. 
The  bride  lies  at  her  home  pros- 
trated," etc.,  etc.,  etc. 


is  said  to  have  been  passionately 
fond.  He  also  gave  one  glance 
up  the  street,  where  stood  the 
mansion  in  which  his  blushing 
bride  was  even  then  preparing 
for  the  ceremony. 

"He  then  mounted  into  the 
carriage ;  at  the  same  instant  — 
the  groom  had  scarcely  had 
time  to  step  to  one  side  —  the 
horses  bolted  fiercely  away,  dash- 
ing down  the  avenue  at  full 
speed. 

"The  whole  fearful  accident 
happened  with  such  lightning 
rapidity  that  no  one  had  time  to 
realise  it. 

"  Prince  Hagen  appeared  to 
lose  his  head,  for  he  dropped 
the  reins  and  seemed  on  the 
point  of  leaping  to  the  ground. 
He  was  not  quick  enough,  how- 
ever, for  the  team,  which  was 
now  wild  with  terror,  ran  only 
two  or  three  blocks  before  the 
tragic  end  came.  The  wagon, 
which  was  flying  from  side  to 
side,  collided  suddenly  with  the 
curb,  overturning  instantly. 
P  r  i  n  c  e  Hagen  was  thrown 
against  a  lamp-post  with  fearful 
violence,  fracturing  several  ribs 
and  sustaining  internal  injuries. 
The  Journey  reporter  was  the 
first  person  to  reach  him,  lifting 
him  from  the  ground.  Prince 
Hagen's  last  words  were  never 
uttered,  for  a  sudden  rush  of 
blood  choked  him,  and  he  sunk 
back  and  died  several  minutes 
later. 

"Society  is  horrified  by  the 
accident.  The  bride  is  said  to 
be  hysterical  with  grief,"  etc., 
etc.,  etc. 


PRINCE     HAGEN  247 

Grand  Chorus  of  all  Papers. 
(Three  Days  Later.) 

"  The  funeral  pageant  was  the  most  mag- 
nificent and  impressive  that  this  city  has  ever 
witnessed,  etc.  .  .  .  The  bereavement  was 
universal,  etc.  .  .  .  The  friends  of  good  gov- 
ernment had  not  forgotten  Prince  Hagen's 
services ;  and  likewise  the  best  of  New  York's 
society  turned  out  to  honour  the  deceased, 
and  to  mourn  his  untimely  end,  etc.,  etc. 

"  The  saddest  and  most  touching  sight  of  all 
was  the  bride  and  her  family,  all  in  deepest 
mourning.  The  circumstance  that  Prince 
Hagen  had  met  his  death  at  almost  the  very 
hour  of  his  wedding  made  the  whole  scene 
fearfully  impressive  to  all.  As  the  sobbing 
bride  was  led  up  the  aisle,  there  was  scarcely 
a  dry  eye  in  the  massive  temple,  etc.  .  .  .  The 
low,  mournful  music  of  Chopin's  funeral 
march  increased  the  tragic  effect,  etc.,  etc. 
.  .  .  After  the  mourners  marched  in  solemn 
procession,  etc.,  etc.  .  .  .  Then  was  heard 
from  the  choir  the  thrilling  voice  of  Madame 
Paganini,  who  had  been  engaged  (it  is  said 
for  a  tremendous  sum)  to  sing  at  the  wedding 


248  PRINCE     HAGEN 

three  days  before,  etc.,  etc.  .  .  .  Archbishop 
Sullivan  officiated  at  the  ceremonies  that 
followed,  assisted  by  Fathers  O'Donnelly  and 
Rafferty,  Fathers  Murphy  and  McGinnis, 
who  were  to  have  assisted  at  the  wedding. 

"  In  fact,  every  circumstance  served  only  to 
recall  the  event  so  tragically  interrupted,  and 
to  increase  the  awe  in  the  hearts  of  those 
present,  etc.,  etc. 

"  The  funeral  oration  was  delivered  by 
Archbishop  Sullivan,  and  was  a  magnifi- 
cent tribute  to  the  virtues  of  the  deceased,  as 
a  useful  and  philanthropic  citizen,  a  faithful 
son  of  the  Church,  and  a  pattern  to  all  the 
ages  of  what  a  man  of  wealth  should  be.  He 
spoke  of  his  public-spiritedness,  and  his  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  Democracy;  of  his 
private  charities,  and  of  his  generous  hospi- 
tality, which  made  him  honoured  of  all  as  a 
shining  example  of  the  liberal-mindedness 
which  characterises  our  society.  He  alluded 
then  in  touching  terms  to  the  bride  and  her 
tragic  bereavement;  and  said  that,  if  God, 
in  His  unspeakable  Majesty  and  unfathom- 
able Wisdom,  had  chosen  to  cut  short  so 
bright  a  career,  we  could  only  bow  our  heads 
before  His  judgment,  and  know  how  small 


PRINCE     HAGEN  249 

before  His  glory  was  all  our  human  greatness; 
that  all  men  must  take  this  dreadful  warning 
to  their  hearts,  and  strive  more  than  ever  to 
feel  that '  in  the  midst  of  life,  we  are  in  death,' 
and  that  we  must,  at  all  times,  be  prepared  to 
render  account  for  the  great  blessings  which 
Providence  showers  upon  us.  The  oration 
follows  in  full,"  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 


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leading  romancers  of  the  day. 

The    Last   Word.     By  ALICE  MACGOWAN.    Library 

izmo,  cloth,  gilt  top,  illustrated  ."»  .  . .  .  .  $1.50 
This  brilliant  and  original  novel  is  one  of  the  notable  addi- 
tions to  the  fiction  list  of  the  year,  in  respect  both  of  literary 
quality  and  of  popular  appeal.  It  is  bubbling  over  with  life 
and  humor,  buoyant  with  youth  and  courage,  picturesque  in 
local  color,  and  powerful  in  the  intensity  of  its  emotional 
interest. 

The  Prince  of  the  Captivity.    By  SYDNEY  c. 

GRIER,  author  of  "The   Warden  of   the   Marches,"  "A 

Crowned  Queen,"  etc. 

Library  1 2mo,  cloth,  gilt  top     .         .         .         .         .     $1.50 

Mr.  Grier's  latest  novel,  like  sereral  of  its  predecessors,  is 
concerned  with  the  interesting  field  of  political  intrigue  in  the 
Balkan  states.  The  remarkable  success  which  Mr.  Grier's 
novels  have  enjoyed  in  England  makes  certain  the  favorable 
reception  on  this  side  of  the  water  of  his  latest  work. 


LIST  OF  NEW  FICTION 


PAGE'S  COMMONWEALTH  SERIES 

Literary  growth  in  America  has  been  of  late  years  as  rapid 
as  its  material  and  economical  progress.  The  vast  size  of  the 
country,  the  climatic  and  moral  conditions  of  its  different  parts, 
and  the  separate  political  and  social  elements,  have  all  tended 
to  create  distinct  methods  of  literary  expression  in  various  sec- 
tions. In  offering  from  time  to  time  the  books  in  the  "  COM- 
MONWEALTH SERIES,"  we  shall  select  a  novel  or  story 
descriptive  of  the  methods  of  thought  and  life  of  that  particu- 
lar section  of  the  country  which  each  author  represents.  The 
elegance  of  paper,  press-work,  and  binding,  and  the  lavish  and 
artistic  illustrations,  as  well  as  the  convenient  size,  add  not  a 
little  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  volumes. 


Number  5.  (Illinois)  The  Russells  in  Chi- 
cago. By  EMILY  WHEATON.  Illustrated  with  full-page 
drawings  by  F.  C.  Ransom,  and  numerous  reproductions 
from  original  photographs. 

Cloth,  large  i6mo,  gilt  top        .         .  .         .     $1.25 

This  entertaining  story  is  the  narrative  of  the  experiences  of 
two  young  people  from  Boston  who  take  up  their  residence  in 
the  wilds  by  Lake  Michigan.  The  characteristics  of  life  in  the 
great  Western  metropolis,  as  well  as  the  foibles  of  the  impec- 
cable Eastern  critic,  are  touched  with  a  gentle  and  amusing 
satire,  as  kindly  as  it  is  observant  and  keen. 

Even  without  the  omen  of  success  afforded  in  the  previous 
numbers  of  this  popular  series,  it  is  safe  to  predict  a  most 
favorable  reception  for  this  charming  story. 

Number  6.  (New  York)  Councils  of  Croesus. 

By  MARY  KNIGHT  POTTER,  author  of  "  Love  in  Art,"  etc. 
Cloth,  large  1 6mo,  gilt  top,  illustrated       .         .         .     $1.25 
A  clever  and  vivacious  story  of  life  in  New  York  society 
circles. 


Selections  from 

L.  C  Page  and  Company's 

List  of  Fiction 

WORKS  OF 

ROBERT  NEILSON  STEPHENS 
Captain    Ravenshaw;     OR,    THE    MAID   OF 

CHEAPSIDE.     (35th  thousand.)     A  romance  of  Elizabethan 

London.     Illustrations  by  Howard  Pyle  and  other  artists. 

Library  I2mo,  cloth  .         .         .         .         ,         .     $1.50 

Not  since  the  absorbing  adventures  of  D'Artagnan  have  we 

had    anything  so  good    in  the  blended  vein  of  romance  and 

comedy.    The  beggar  student,  the  rich  goldsmith,  the  roisterer 

and  the  rake,  the  fop  and  the  maid,  are  all  here :  foremost 

among  them,  Captain  Ravenshaw  himself,  soldier  of  fortune 

and   adventurer,   who,   after   escapades   of    binding   interest, 

finally  wins  a  way  to  fame  and  to  matrimony.     The  rescue  of 

a  maid  from  the  designs  of  an  unscrupulous  father  and  rakish 

lord  forms  the  principal  and  underlying  theme,  around  which 

incidents  group  themselves  with  sufficient  rapidity  to  hold  one's 

attention  spellbound. 

Philip  WinwOOd.  (7oth  thousand.)  A  Sketch  of 
the  Domestic  History  of  an  American  Captain  in  the  War  of 
Independence,  embracing  events  that  occurred  between  and 
during  the  years  1763  and  1785  in  New  York  and  London. 
Written  by  his  Enemy  in  War,  Herbert  Russell,  Lieutenant 
in  the  Loyalist  Forces.  Presented  anew  by  ROBERT  NEIL- 
SON  STEPHENS.  Illustrated  by  E.  W.  D.  Hamilton. 
Library  I2mo,  cloth $  1.50 

"  One  of  the  most  stirring  and  remarkable  romances  that  have 
been  published  in  a  long  while,  and  its  episodes,  incidents,  and 
actions  are  as  interesting  and  agreeable  as  they  are  vivid  and 
dramatic."  —  Boston  Times. 


L.    C.   PAGE   AND    COMPANY'S 


An  Enemy  to  the  King,   (4oth  thousand.)  From 

the  "  Recently    Discovered    Memoirs   of   the    Sieur   de   la 

Tournoire."     Illustrated  by  H.  De  M.  Young. 

Library  12010,  cloth $1.50 

An  historical  romance  of  the  sixteenth  century,  describing 
the  adventures  of  a  young  French  nobleman  at  the  Court  of 
Henry  III.,  and  on  the  field  with  Henry  of  Navarre. 

"  A  stirring  tale."  —  Detroit  Free  Press. 

"  A  royally  strong  piece  of  fiction." —  Boston  Ideas. 

"Interesting  from  the  first  to  the  last  page."  —  Brooklyn  Eagle. 

"  Brilliant  as  a  play ;  it  is  equally  brilliant  as  a  romantic  novel."  — 
Philadelphia  Press. 

The  Continental  Dragoon :   A  ROMANCE  OF 

PHILIPSE  MANOR  HOUSE  IN  1778.    (426.  thousand.)   Illus- 
trated by  H.  C.  Edwards. 

Library  i  zmo,  cloth $1.50 

A  stirring  romance  of  the  Revolution,  the  scene  being  laid 
in  and  around  the  old  Philipse  Manor  House,  near  Yonkers, 
which  at  the  time  of  the  story  was  the  central  point  of  the  so- 
called  "  neutral  territory  "  between  the  two  armies. 

The   Road  to    Paris :     A  STORY  OF  ADVENTURE. 
(2$d  thousand.)     Illustrated  by  H.  C.  Edwards. 
Library  I2mo,  cloth  ....  .     $1.50 

An  historical  romance  of  the  i8th  century,  being  an  account 
of  the  life  of  an  American  gentleman  adventurer  of  Jacobite 
ancestry,  whose  family  early  settled  in  the  colony  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

A  Gentleman  Player :  HIS  ADVENTURES  ON  A 

SECRET  MISSION  FOR   QUEEN   ELIZABETH.      (35th   thou- 

sand.)     Illustrated  by  Frank  T.  Merrill. 

Library  i2mo,  cloth $1-50 

"A  Gentleman  Player  "is  a  romance  of  the  Elizabethan 
period.  It  relates  the  story  of  a  young  gentleman  who,  in  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth,  falls  so  low  in  his  fortune  that  he  joins 
Shakespeare's  company  of  players,  and  becomes  a  friend  and 
the  great  poet. 


LIST  OF  FICTION 


WORKS  OF 

CHARLES  G.  D,  ROBERTS 
The  Heart  of  the  Ancient  Wood. 

Library  izmo,  gilt  top,  decorative  cover,  illustrated  .  $1.50 
This  book  strikes  a  new  note  in  literature.  It  is  a  realistic 
romance  of  the  folk  of  the  forest,  —  a  romance  of  the  alliance 
of  peace  between  a  pioneer's  daughter  in  the  depths  of  the 
ancient  wood  and  the  wild  beasts  who  felt  her  spell  and 
became  her  friends.  It  is  not  fanciful,  with  talking  beasts; 
nor  is  it  merely  an  exquisite  idyl  of  the  beasts  themselves.  It 
is  an  actual  romance  in  which  the  animal  characters  play  their 
parts  as  naturally  as  do  the  human. 

The  Forge  in  the  Forest.  Being  the  Narrative 
of  the  Acadian  Ranger,  Jean  de  Mer,  Siegneur  de  Briart, 
and  how  he  crossed  the  Black  Abbd,  and  of  his  Adventures 
in  a  Strange  Fellowship.  Illustrated  by  Henry  Sandham, 
R.  C.  A. 

Library  I2mo,  cloth,  gilt  top,  deckle-edge  paper        .     $1.50 
A  romance  of  the  convulsive  period  of  the  struggle  between 

the  French  and  English  for  the  possession  of  North  America. 

The  story  is  one  of  pure  love  and  heroic  adventure,  and  deals 

with  that  fiery  fringe  of  conflict  that  waved  between  Nova 

Scotia  and  New  England. 

A  Sister  to  Evangeline.    Being  the  story  of 

Yvonne  de  Lamourie,  and  how  she  went  into  Exile  with  the 

Villagers  of  Grand  Pre*. 

Library   I2mo,   cloth,   deckle-edge   paper,   gilt    top, 

illustrated $1.50 

This  is  a  romance  of  the  great  expulsion  of  the  Acadians 
which  Longfellow  first  immortalized  in  "  Evangeline."  Swift 
action,  fresh  atmosphere,  wholesome  purity,  deep  passion, 
searching  analysis,  characterize  this  strong  novel ;  and  the 
tragic  theme  of  the  exile  is  relieved  by  the  charm  of  the  wilful 
demoiselle  and  the  spirit  of  the  courtly  seigneur,  who  bring  the 
manners  of  old  France  to  the  Acadian  woods. 


L.    C.   PAGE   AND    COMPANY'S 


Works  of  Charles  G.  D.  Roberts  (Continued) 

Earth's  Enigmas. 

Library  I2mo,  cloth,  uncut  edges  .  .  .  .  $1.25 
This  is  the  author's  first  volume  of  stories  and  the  one  which 
discovered  him  as  a  fiction  writer  of  advanced  rank.  The 
tales  deal  chiefly  with  those  elemental  problems  of  the  mys- 
teries of  life,  —  pain,  the  unknown,  the  strange  kinship  of  man 
and  beast  in  the  struggle  for  existence,  —  the  enigmas  which 
occur  chiefly  to  the  primitive  folk  on  the  backwoods  fringe  of 
civilization,  and  they  arrest  attention  for  their  sincerity,  their 
freshness  of  first-hand  knowledge,  and  their  superior  craft. 

By  the  Marshes  of  Minas. 

Library  I2mo,  cloth,  gilt  top,  illustrated  .  .  .  $1.25 
This  is  a  volume  of  romance  of  love  and  adventure  in  that 
picturesque  period  when  Nova  Scotia  was  passing  from  the 
French  to  the  English  regime,  of  which  Professor  Roberts  is 
the  acknowledged  celebrant.  Each  tale  is  independent  of  the 
others,  but  the  scenes  are  similar,  and  in  several  of  them  the 
evil  "  Black  AbbeY'  well  known  from  the  author's  previous 
novels,  again  appears  with  his  savages  at  his  heels  —  but  to  be 
thwarted  always  by  woman's  wit  or  soldier's  courage. 


WORKS  OF 

MAURUS  JOKAI 

Translated   by   P.   F.   Bicknell.     With   a 
portrait  in  photogravure  of  Dr.  Jdkai. 

Library  I2mo,  cloth  decorative  .  .  .  .  $1.50 
An  absorbing  story  of  life  among  a  happy  and  primitive 
people  hidden  away  in  far  Transylvania,  whose  peaceful  life  is 
never  disturbed  except  by  the  inroads  of  their  turbulent  neigh- 
bors. The  opening  scenes  are  laid  in  Rome ;  and  the  view  of 
the  corrupt,  intriguing  society  there  forms  a  picturesque  con- 
trast to  the  scenes  of  pastoral  simplicity  and  savage  border 
warfare  that  succeed. 


